List of Famous people who died at 81

Robert Doisneau was a French photographer. In the 1930s, he made photographs on the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and with Henri Cartier-Bresson a pioneer of photojournalism.

Alfred Hrdlicka was an Austrian sculptor, painter, and professor. His surname is sometimes written Hrdlička.

Pierre Renouvin was a French historian of international relations.

Howard Winchester Hawks was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name."

Warren Burton Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.

Tao Siju was the Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China between 1990 and 1998.

Henrique Walter Pinotti was a Brazilian physician and gastric surgeon, and a full professor of surgery at the University of São Paulo's Medical School. He was the author of the book Accesso ao Esôfago Torácico por Transecção Mediana do Diafragma (1999). Pinotti became notable in 1985 by operating on the elected president Tancredo Neves.

María del Socorro Tellado López, known as Corín Tellado, was a prolific Spanish writer of romantic novels and photonovels that were best-sellers in several Spanish-language countries. She published more than 4,000 titles and sold more than 400 million books which have been translated into several languages. She was listed in the 1994 Guinness World Records as having sold the most books written in Spanish, and earlier in 1962 UNESCO declared her the most read Spanish writer after Miguel de Cervantes.

José Luis Sáenz de Heredia was a Spanish film director. He was born in Madrid. His film Ten Ready Rifles was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival.

Avraham "Abie" Nathan was an Israeli humanitarian and peace activist. He founded the Voice of Peace radio station. When he died the president of Israel Shimon Peres said about him: "He was one of the most prominent and special people in the country... He is the man who dedicated his life for other people and for a better humanity."