List of Famous people who died at 81

Joseph Peter O'Connell was the Roman Catholic titular bishop of 'Sanctus Germanus' and auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia.

Richard Maibaum was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter in the United States best known for his screenplay adaptations of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

Robert, Baron Triffin was a Belgian-American economist best known for his critique of the Bretton Woods system of fixed currency exchange rates. His critique became known later as Triffin's dilemma.

Asbjørn Haugstvedt was a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party. He was President of the Odelsting 1977–1981 and Minister of Trade and Shipping 1983–1986, as well as minister of Nordic cooperation 1983–1986. Haugstvedt was also a member of the Norwegian Parliament in the period from 1969 to 1985.

Lucien Monsi-Agboka was a Beninese Roman Catholic bishop.

Willie Littlefield, Jr., billed as Little Willie Littlefield, was an American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer whose early recordings "formed a vital link between boogie-woogie and rock and roll". Littlefield was regarded as a teenage wonder and overnight sensation when in 1949, at the age of 18, he popularized the triplet piano style on his Modern Records debut single, "It's Midnight". He also recorded the first version of the song "Kansas City", in 1952.

Ignazio Balsamo was an Italian film and stage actor.

Sten Bertil Ingemund Bengtsson was a Swedish Social democratic politician, and Speaker of the Riksdag from 1979 to 1988.