List of Famous people who died at 81

Thomas Patrick McKenna was an Irish actor, born in Mullagh, County Cavan. He had an extensive stage and screen career.

Louis-Jean Guyot was a cardinal of the Catholic Church, and archbishop of Toulouse in 1966–1978.

Leslie Barnett was a British biologist who worked with Francis Crick, Sydney Brenner, and Richard J. Watts-Tobin to genetically demonstrate the triplet nature of the code of protein translation through the Crick, Brenner, Barnett, Watts-Tobin et al. experiment of 1961, which discovered frameshift mutations; this insight provided early elucidation of the nature of the genetic code.

Hugh Lindsay was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.

Friedrich Jürgen Baethgen was a German historian born in Greifswald. He specialized in medieval studies and in history of the papacy.

Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, best remembered for his solo on "Flying Home", critically recognized as the first R&B saxophone solo.

Winifred Elaine "Wynne" Gibson was an American actress of the 1930s.