List of Famous people who died at 81

Donald Eugene Thorin, ASC was an American cinematographer.

Napoleon Alphonseau Chagnon was an American cultural anthropologist, professor of sociocultural anthropology at the University of Missouri in Columbia and member of the National Academy of Sciences. Chagnon was known for his long-term ethnographic field work among the Yanomamö, a society of indigenous tribal Amazonians, in which he used an evolutionary approach to understand social behavior in terms of genetic relatedness. His work centered on the analysis of violence among tribal peoples, and, using socio-biological analyses, he advanced the argument that violence among the Yanomami is fueled by an evolutionary process in which successful warriors have more offspring. His 1967 ethnography Yanomamö: The Fierce People became a bestseller and is frequently assigned in introductory anthropology courses.

Joseph Cameron Alston was an American badminton player who won major titles between 1951 and 1967.

Michael Currie was an American actor who appeared in several films and on television. Born in Kingston, New York to Herman C. Schwenk and Mabel Lockwood, he began his career in 1964.

Tunç Başaran was a Turkish screenwriter, film director, film producer and actor.