List of Famous people who died at 81

Cecil Reginald Burch, FRS was a British physicist and engineer.

Earl Hawley Robinson was a composer, arranger and folk music singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Robinson is remembered for his music, including the cantata "Ballad for Americans" and songs such as "Joe Hill" and "Black and White", which expressed his left-leaning political views. He wrote many popular songs and music for Hollywood films. He was a member of the Communist Party from the 1930s to the 1950s.

Hans Kutscher was a member of the first and second Senate of the German Constitutional Court and later a member and then President of the European Court of Justice.

Robert Tod Schimke was an American biochemist and cancer researcher.

Pierre Deniker was involved, jointly with Jean Delay and J. M. Harl, in the introduction of chlorpromazine (Thorazine), the first antipsychotic used in the treatment of schizophrenia, in the 1950s. Thorazine had been used in surgical procedures peri-operatively as an anti-nausea medication in France. Patients were noted to be less anxious and calmer. This observation eventually led Deniker to try chlorpromazine with patients who had schizophrenia, where he observed notable improvement in symptoms.

Ernő Gerő was a Hungarian Communist Party leader in the period after World War II and briefly in 1956 the most powerful man in Hungary as the second secretary of its ruling communist party.

Alastair Ivor Gilbert Boyd, 7th Baron Kilmarnock was a Scottish writer, Hispanophile, and Chief of the Clan Boyd.

Edward Clay "Tap" Canutt was an American stunt performer and actor who worked on over 40 films between 1950 and 1980. He was the eldest son of legendary stuntman and rodeo champion Yakima Canutt. He was also the brother of Joseph Canutt.