List of Famous people who died at 81

Satish Dhawan was an Indian mathematician and aerospace engineer, widely regarded as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India. Born in Srinagar, Dhawan was educated in India and further on in United States. Dhawan was one of the most eminent researchers in the field of turbulence and boundary layers, leading the successful and indigenous development of the Indian space programme. He succeeded M. G. K. Menon, as the third chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 1972.

William Vann Rogers, generally known as Will Rogers Jr., was an American politician, writer, and newspaper publisher. He was the eldest son of humorist Will Rogers (1879–1935) and his wife, the former Betty Blake (1879–1944). He was a Democratic U. S. Representative from California from January 3, 1943, until May 23, 1944, when he resigned to return to the United States Army.

Erwin Wilczek was a Polish professional footballer who is most famous for his 1960s performances in both Górnik Zabrze and the Poland national team. He started as a forward, after some time he was moved to midfield.

John Guilbert Avildsen was an American film director. He is perhaps best known for directing Rocky (1976), which earned him the Academy Award for Best Director. Other films he directed include Joe (1970), Save the Tiger (1973), The Formula (1980), Neighbors (1981), Lean on Me (1989), Rocky V (1990), 8 Seconds (1994), and the first three The Karate Kid films.

Édith Scob was a French film and theatre actress, best known for her role as the daughter with a disfigured face in Eyes Without a Face (1960).

Harold Everett Greer was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1958 through 1973. A guard, Greer was a 10-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Second Team seven times. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and he had his uniform number retired by the 76ers. Greer is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Rafael Azcona Fernández was an awarded Spanish screenwriter and novelist who has worked with some of the best Spanish and international filmmakers. Azcona won five Goya Awards during his career, including a lifetime achievement award in 1998.

Thomas Clement Douglas was a Scottish Canadian politician who served as Premier of Saskatchewan from 1944 to 1961 and Leader of the New Democratic Party from 1961 to 1971. A Baptist minister, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in 1935 as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). He left federal politics to become Leader of the Saskatchewan Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and then the seventh Premier of Saskatchewan. His cabinet was the first democratic socialist government in North America and it introduced the continent's first single-payer, universal health care program.

Gary Keith Starkweather was an American engineer and inventor most notable for the invention of the laser printer and color management.

Henri Verneuil was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who made a successful career in France. He was nominated for Oscar and Palme d'Or awards, and won Locarno International Film Festival, Edgar Allan Poe Awards, French Legion of Honor, Golden Globe Award, French National Academy of Cinema and Honorary Cesar awards.