Deaths in 1981

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The following is a list of notable deaths in 1981. Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence:

Name, age, country of citizenship at birth, subsequent country of citizenship (if applicable), reason for notability, cause of death (if known), and reference.

Deaths in 1981 edit

January edit

Harold Urey

Beulah Bondi

January 1
- Ceferino Garcia, Filipino champion boxer (b. 1906)
- Hephzibah Menuhin, American-Australian pianist, writer, and human rights campaigner (b. 1921)
- Kazimierz Michałowski, Polish archaeologist (b. 1901)
- Mauri Rose, American race car champion (b. 1906)
January 3
- Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, the last surviving grandchild of Queen Victoria (b. 1883)
- Felton Jarvis, American record producer of Elvis, Willie Nelson, and other musicians and a singer (b. 1934)
- Marvin Opler, American anthropologist (b. 1914)
January 4 – Ruth Lowe, Canadian pianist and songwriter (b. 1914)
January 5
- Guy Paquinet, French jazz trombonist
- Harold Urey, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1893)^[1]
- Lanza del Vasto, Italian philosopher, poet and activist (b. 1901)^[2]
January 6 – A. J. Cronin, Scottish novelist (b. 1896)^[3]
January 7
- Jose Ardevol, Cuban composer and conductor of Spanish derivation (b. 1911)
- Alvar Lidell, English radio announcer and newsreader for the BBC and compere (b. 1908)
January 9
- Donald H. Bochkay, 64, American Air Force pilot and flying ace (b. 1916)
- Obdulio Morales, Cuban pianist, conductor, composer and ethnomusicologist (b. 1910)
- Kazimierz Serocki, Polish composer and one of the founders of the Warsaw Autumn contemporary music festival (b. 1922)
January 10
- Katherine Alexander, American actress (b. 1898)
- Richard Boone, American actor (b. 1917)
- Fawn M. Brodie, American biographer and history professors at UCLA (b. 1915)
January 11 – Beulah Bondi, American actress (b. 1889)
January 12 – Isobel Elsom, English film, theatre, and television actress (b. 1893)
January 15 –
- David E. Lilienthal, American attorney and public administrator (b. 1899)
- Emanuel Celler, American Democratic politician from New York (b. 1888)
January 16 – Bernard Lee, English actor (b. 1908)
January 17 – Loukas Panourgias, Greek athlete and footballer (b. 1899)
January 19 – Francesca Woodman, American photographer (b. 1958)
January 21 – Allyn Joslyn, American actor (b. 1901)
January 22 – Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi, Pakistani nationalist historian and playwright (b. 1903)
January 23
- Samuel Barber, American composer (b. 1910)
- Bobby Sherwood, American guitarist, trumpeter, bandleader, actor and radio host (b. 1914)
January 25 – Adele Astaire, American dancer and actress (b. 1896)
January 29 – Lajos Korányi, Hungarian footballer (b. 1907)
January 30 – John Gordon, Irish Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1912)
January 31 – Cozy Cole, American jazz drummer (b. 1909)

February edit

Bill Haley

Ibrahim Abdel Hady Pasha

February 1
- Donald Wills Douglas Sr., American industrialist (b. 1892)
- Wanda Hendrix, American actress (b. 1928)
- Ernst Pepping, German composer (b. 1901)
- Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer (b. 1908)
February 2 –
- Hugh J. Addonizio, Italian-American politician and Mayor of Newark (b. 1914)
- Louise Lorraine, American actress (b. 1904)
February 3 –
- J Harlen Bretz, American geologist (b. 1882)
- Jan Donner, Dutch politician (b. 1891)
February 4 – Mario Camerini, Italian film director and screenwriter (b. 1895)
February 5
- Ella Grasso, American politician and member of the Democratic Party (b. 1919)
- Kuda Bux, magician and firewalker (b. 1905)
February 6 –
- Frederica of Hanover, Queen Consort of the Hellenes and wife of King Paul of Greece (b. 1917)
- Hugo Montenegro, American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks (b. 1925)
February 7 – Hermann Esser, German journalist and editor of the Nazi newspaper Völkischer Beobachter (b. 1900)
February 9 – Bill Haley, American rock musician, member of Bill Haley & The Comets (b. 1925)
February 12 – Bruce Fraser, 1st Baron Fraser of North Cape, British admiral (b. 1888)
February 13 – Jack Crapp, English cricketer (b. 1912)
February 15
- Karl Richter, German conductor (b. 1926)
- Mike Bloomfield, American blues guitarist (b. 1943)
February 17 – David Garnett, English novelist and writer (b. 1892)
February 18
- Jack Northrop, American airplane manufacturer (b. 1895)
- Ibrahim Abdel Hady Pasha, Egyptian politician, 28th Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1896)
February 20
- Bernard B. Brown, American sound engineer and composer (b. 1898)
- Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg, French magazine editor and playboy (b. 1904)
February 22
- Michael Maltese, American screenwriter (b. 1908)
- Curtis Bernhardt, German film director (b. 1899)
February 25
- Leonard Howell, Founder of Rastafari (b. 1898)
- Gunichi Mikawa, Japanese admiral (b. 1888)
February 26
- Robert Aickman, English writer and conservationist (b. 1914)
- Howard Hanson, American composer (b. 1896)
February 27 – Jacob H Gilbert, American lawyer and politician (b. 1920)

March edit

Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón

Max Delbrück

John S. McCain Jr.

March 1 – Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón, 14th President of Panama (b. 1905)
March 2
- Brenda De Banzie, British actress (b. 1909)
- Janear Hines, American actress and Earl Hines' daughter (b.1950)^[4]
- Tony Gulotta, American racing driver (b. 1903)
March 4 – Torin Thatcher, American actor (b. 1905)
March 5 –
- Yip Harburg, American lyricist (b. 1896)
- Paul Hörbiger, Austrian theatre and film actor (b. 1894)
- Red Saunders, American jazz drummer and bandleader (b. 1912)
March 6 – George Geary, English cricketer (b. 1893)
March 7
- Peter Birch, Irish Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1911)
- Jon Gnagy, self-taught artist remembered for being America's original television art instructor
- Kirill Kondrashin, Russian conductor (b. 1914)^[5]
- Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling, German-Danish tennis player (b. 1908)
March 9 – Max Delbrück, German biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1906)^[6]
March 10 – Flavio Calzavara, Italian director and screenwriter (b. 1900)
March 11 – Kazimierz Kordylewski, Polish astronomer (b. 1903)
March 14
- Ken Barrington, English international cricketer (b. 1930)
- Paolo Grassi, Italian actor (b. 1919)
March 15 – René Clair, French film director (b. 1898)
March 17 – Paul Dean, American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher (1912)
March 19 – Frank Lane, American executive in professional baseball (b. 1895)
March 20 – Gerry Bertier, American college football player (b. 1953)
March 21 – Mark Donskoy, Russian Soviet film director (b. 1901)
March 22
- Jumbo Elliott, American track and field coach (b. 1915)
- John S. McCain Jr., American admiral (b. 1911)
- Gil Puyat, Filipino businessman and politician, Senator of the Philippines and Senate President (b. 1907)^[7]
March 23
- Sir Claude Auchinleck, British field marshal (b. 1884)
- Mike Hailwood, English motorcycle racer (b. 1940)
- Beatrice Tinsley, English astronomer (b. 1941)
March 26 – Cyril Dean Darlington, English biologist, geneticist and eugenicist, (b. 1903)
March 27 – Mao Dun, Chinese novelist, cultural critic, and minister of culture (b. 1896)^[8]
March 29 – Eric Williams, 1st Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1911)
March 30
- Sherman Edwards, American songwriter (b. 1919)
- Noel Harford, New Zealand cricketer (b. 1930)
- Douglas Lowe, British Olympic athlete (b. 1902)
- DeWitt Wallace, American magazine publisher (b. 1889)
March 31
- Enid Bagnold, British writer and playwright (b. 1889)
- Frank Tieri, American gangster (b. 1904)

April edit

Joe Louis

Prince Yasuhiko Asaka

April 1 – Eua Sunthornsanan, singer, Thai composer and bandleader of the Suntaraporn Band (b. 1910)
April 2 – Delfo Cabrera, Argentine athlete, winner of the marathon race at the 1948 Summer Olympics (b. 1918)
April 3
- Juan Trippe, airline entrepreneur (b. 1899)
- Leo Kanner, Austrian-American psychiatrist, physician, and social activist (b. 1894)
April 5
- Bob Hite, American musician (Canned Heat) (b. 1943)
- Maurice Zbriger, Canadian violinist, composer and conductor (b. 1896)^[9]
April 7
- Kit Lambert, British producer, record label owner and manager of The Who (b. 1935)
- Norman Taurog, American film director (b. 1899)^[10]
April 8 – Omar Bradley, American army general (b. 1893)^[11]
April 10
- George Carlyle Marler, Canadian politician, notary and philatelist (b. 1901)
- Howard Thurman, American author, philosopher, theologian, Christian mystic, educator, and civil rights leader (b. 1899)
April 11
- Caroline Gordon, American novelist and literary critic (b. 1895)
- Marie Ney, British character actress (b. 1895)
April 12
- Hendrik Andriessen, Dutch composer (b. 1892)
- Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan (b. 1887)
- Joe Louis, American boxer (b. 1914)^[12]
- Hans Chemin-Petit, German composer, conductor and music educator (b. 1902)
April 14 – Ivan Galamian, Armenian-American violin teacher (b. 1903)
April 15
- John Thach, American naval aviator and admiral (b. 1905)
- Lorenzo Guerrero, former President of Nicaragua (b. 1900)
April 16 –
- Eric Hollies, English cricketer (b. 1912)
- Effa Manley, American sports executive (b. 1897)
April 18 – James H. Schmitz, German-American writer (b. 1911)
April 19 – Ernst Levy, Swiss musicologist, composer, pianist and conductor (b. 1895)
April 21 – Eddie Sauter, American composer and arranger (b. 1914)
April 23 – Josep Pla, Spanish journalist and author (b. 1897)^[13]
April 26
- Jim Davis, American actor (b. 1909)
- Madge Evans, American actress (b. 1909)
- Muhammad Lafir, Sri Lankan snooker player (b. 1930)
April 27 – John Aspinwall Roosevelt, American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1916)
April 28
- Cliff Battles, American football player (Boston Redskins) and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (b. 1910)
- Mickey Walker, American professional boxer (b. 1903)
April 30 – Peter Huchel, German poet and editor (b. 1903)

May edit

May 1 – Barry Jones, American actor (b. 1893)
May 3 – Nargis, Indian actress (b. 1929)
May 4 – Paul Green, American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (b. 1894)^[14]
May 5 – Bobby Sands, Irish republican hunger striker (b. 1954)
May 6 – Frank O'Grady, Australian public servant (b. 1900)
May 7 – Hiromichi Yahara, Imperial Japanese Army officer (b. 1902)
May 8 – Prince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia (b. 1897)
May 9
- Nelson Algren, American author (b. 1909)
- Margaret Lindsay, American actress (b. 1910)
- Nip Pellew, Australian cricketer (b.1893)
May 10 – Ismail of Johor, Malaysian sultan (b. 1894)
May 11
- Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1897)^[15]
- Bob Marley, Jamaican singer, songwriter and musician (b. 1945)
- Hoyt W. Fuller, American editor, educator, critic, and author during the Black Arts Movement (b. 1923)
May 12 – Benjamin Sheares, Singaporean politician and professor, 2nd President of Singapore (b. 1907)
May 13
- Ben Andrews, American actor (b. 1942)
May 14 – J. Posadas, Argentine politician (b. 1912)
May 16 – Ernie Freeman, American pianist, organist, bandleader, and arranger (b. 1922)
May 17 –
- Hugo Friedhofer, German-American film composer (b. 1901)
- Jeannette Ridlon Piccard, American high-altitude balloonist, and in later life an Episcopal priest (b. 1895)
May 18
- Eleonore Baur, German Nazi and only woman to participate in Munich Beer Hall Putsch (b. 1885)
- Richard Hale, American singer and actor (b. 1892)^[16]
- Arthur O'Connell, American actor (b. 1908)
- William Saroyan, American author (b. 1908)^[17]
May 20 – Dositej II, Archbishop of Ohrid and Macedonia (b. 1906)
May 21
- Yuki Shimoda, American actor (b. 1921)
- Patsy O'Hara, Irish republican hunger striker and member of the Irish National Liberation Army (b. 1957)
- Raymond Mccreesh, Irish volunteer in the South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (b. 1957)
May 22 – Boris Sagal, Ukrainian-American television and film director (b. 1923)
May 23
- George Jessel, American actor (b. 1898)
- Donald Macintyre, British naval officer and naval historian (b. 1904)
- Rayner Heppenstall, British novelist, poet, diarist, and a BBC radio producer (b. 1911)
May 24
- Jaime Roldós Aguilera, 33rd President of Ecuador (b. 1940)
- Jack Warner, British actor (b. 1895)
May 25
- Rosa Ponselle, American soprano (b. 1897)
- Ruby Payne-Scott, Australian radio astronomer (b. 1912)
- A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan Tamil teacher and politician (b. 1916)
- Fredric Warburg, British publisher, who in 1935 founded the company Secker & Warburg (b. 1898)
May 28
- John Bryan Ward-Perkins, British archaeologist (b. 1912)
- Mary Lou Williams, American jazz pianist (b. 1910)
- Stefan Wyszyński, Polish Roman Catholic prelate, archbishop and Servant of God (b. 1901)
- Lem Billings, American businessman (b. 1916)
May 29 – Soong Ching-ling, Acting head of State of the People's Republic of China (b. 1893)
May 30
- Don Ashby, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1955)
- Peter Lindgren, Swedish actor (b. 1915)
- Ziaur Rahman, 7th President of Bangladesh (b. 1936)
May 31
- Barbara Ward, Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, British economist (b. 1914)
- Gyula Lóránt, Hungarian footballer and manager (b. 1923)
- Giuseppe Pella, Italian politician, 31st Prime Minister of Italy (b. 1902)

June edit

Rino Gaetano

Zarah Leander

June 1 – Carl Vinson, American politician (b. 1883)^[18]
June 2 – Rino Gaetano, Italian musician and singer-songwriter (b. 1950)
June 5 – Miguel Contreras Torres, Mexican actor, director, producer and screenwriter (b. 1899)
June 10 – Jenny Maxwell, American actress (b. 1941)
June 11 – Botak Chin, Malaysian criminal and gangster (b. 1951)
June 12 – Mahmoud Fawzi, Egyptian diplomat and political figure, 35th Prime Minister of Egypt (b. 1900)
June 13 – George Walsh, American actor (b. 1889)
June 16 – Sir Thomas Playford, Australian politician, Premier of South Australia (b. 1896)
June 17 – Sir Richard O'Connor, British general (b. 1889)
June 19 – Lotte Reiniger, German silhouette animator (b. 1899)
June 22
- Henri Bouillard, French Jesuit theologian (b. 1908)
- Lola Lane, American actress and singer (b. 1906)
June 23 – Zarah Leander, Swedish actress and singer (b. 1907)
June 28
- Mohammad Beheshti, Chief Justice of Iran (b. 1928)
- Terry Fox, Canadian athlete and cancer activist (b. 1958)

July edit

Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi

July 1
- Marcel Breuer, Hungarian-American architect (b. 1902)
- George Voskovec, Czech-American actor, writer, dramatist and director (b. 1905)
July 3 – Ross Martin, American actor (b. 1920)
July 7 – Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi, South Yemenite socialist leader, 1st President of South Yemen (b. 1920)
July 8
- Jugah Barieng, Malaysian politician (b. 1903)
- Joe McDonnell, Irish republican hunger striker (b. 1951)
July 10 – Giorgio De Lullo, Italian actor and director (b. 1921)
July 16 – Harry Chapin, American singer and songwriter (b. 1942)
July 26 – Stafford L. Warren, American physician and radiologist; inventor of the mammogram (b. 1896)^[19]
July 27 – William Wyler, American movie director (b. 1902)^[20]
July 28 – Stanley Francis Rother, American priest, martyr, and Blessed (b. 1935)
July 29 – Robert Moses, American urban planner (b. 1888)
July 31 – Omar Torrijos, Panamanian leader (b. 1929)