List of Famous people who died in 1981

Francisco 'Paco' Bienzobas Ocáriz was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward.

Charles Paul Alexander was an American entomologist who specialized in the craneflies, Tipulidae.

Claude Louise Batho was a French photographer. She is remembered for the detailed images of her home and for her series on Claude Monet's garden at Giverny.

Dorothy Dwan was an American film actress. She appeared in 40 films between 1922 and 1930, several of which were directed by her second husband, Larry Semon. Born Dorothy Ilgenfritz in Sedalia, Missouri, she married three times. She had one child, a son, Paul, by her marriage to Paul Northcutt Boggs Jr. Dwan died in Ventura, California from lung cancer, aged 74.

Tony Louis Alexandre Aubin was a French composer.

William W. "Bill" Knight was an American lawyer, politician, and newspaper publisher. He lived, worked and raised a family with his wife, Lota Hatfield Knight, in Portland, Oregon. Their son, Phil Knight, a high school and college athlete, went on to co-found Nike.