1981 deaths

Jamaican reggae musician (1945–1981)

President of Egypt from 1970 to 1981

Japanese theoretical physicist (1907-1981)

Italian poet (1896-1981)

German Nazi architect, Government Minister of Armaments and War Production for Nazi Germany and convicted Nazi War Criminal (1905–1981)

French psychoanalyst and writer (1901–1981)

Israeli military leader and politician (1915–1981)

Dutch chess player and mathematician

American physical chemist

American actress (1938–1981)

Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer (1908-1981)

American actor (1918–1981)

Swiss-German-American director and producer (1902–1981)

Scottish footballer and manager (1913-1981)

American historian, philosopher and writer (1885–1981)

German-British biochemist (1900-1981)

biophysicist (1906–1981)

American boxer (1914-1981)

Iranian Prime Minister and President of Iran (1933-1981)

former Vice President of the People's Republic of China and third wife of Sun Yat-sen (1893–1981)

United States Army general (1893–1981)

Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981), known mononymously as Nargis, was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema, Nargis often portrayed sophisticated and independent women in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama. She was among the highest paid actresses of the 1950s and 1960s.

French singer-songwriter and poet (1921–1981)

American actress (1923–1981)

Scottish novelist (1896–1981)

American actor (1901-1981)

American rock and roll music pioneer (1925–1981)

French filmmaker and writer (1898–1981)

Chief of Army Staff and President of Bangladesh (1936-1981)

American composer (1910-1981)

Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist

Spanish journalist (1897–1981)

Activist of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (1954-1981)

French film director and producer, writer and actor (1889-1981)

Croatian writer (1893–1981)

Soviet ice hockey player (1948–1981)

Panamanian dictator who ruled Panama 1968–1981 (1929–1981)

President of Venezuela (1908-1981)

Hungarian-American architect (1902-1981)

American film director (1899–1981)

Senegalese writer (1929–1981)

Austrian singer and actress (1898-1981)

Polish Roman Catholic cardinal (1901-1981)

American actor (1907–1981)

American screenwriter, playwright, author, actress and television producer (1888-1981)

Queen consort of Greece as the wife of King Paul; daughter of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick (1887-1953)

Swedish actress and singer (1907–1981)

British World War II Army commander (1884–1981)

Chinese writer (1896-1981)

Swiss writer (1895-1981)

Italian politician (1902-1981)

American actress (1888/1889–1981)

Prime Minister of Albania (1913-1981)

German silhouette animator and film director (1899–1981)

New Zealand astronomer (1941–1981)

Uruguayan football player and manager (1898-1981)

German mathematician (1896-1981)

American novelist, short story writer (1909-1981)

Austrian conductor (1894-1981)

American film and television costumer (1897-1981)