List of Famous people who died at 81

Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 until 1976.

Jesús Rafael Soto was a Venezuelan op and kinetic artist, a sculptor and a painter.

Kurt Meisel was an Austrian actor and film director. He appeared in 65 films between 1934 and 1994. He also directed 21 films between 1949 and 1984. Meisel was married to the actress Ursula Lingen. He was born and died in Vienna, Austria, and is buried on the Vienna Zentralfriedhof.

Alexander Martin Lippisch was a German aeronautical engineer, a pioneer of aerodynamics who made important contributions to the understanding of tailless aircraft, delta wings and the ground effect, and also worked in the U.S.

Nathan Tate Davis was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, and flute. He is known for his work with Eric Dolphy, Kenny Clarke, Ray Charles, Slide Hampton and Art Blakey.

Haruto Kō was a noted Japanese poet and novelist.

Peter Wende was a German historian who professor at the University of Frankfurt am Main and later director of the German Historical Institute London from September 1994 to August 2000.

Jean Louvet was a Belgian playwright.

Elisabeth Rethberg was a German operatic soprano singer of international repute active from the period of the First World War through to the early 1940s.

Pietro Mário was an Italian-born Brazilian actor.