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In the year 1981

628 Notable deaths

Isobel Elsom

British actress (1893–1981).

Born March 16th, 1893 in Cambridge.

Died January 12th, 1981 at 87 years old in Woodland Hills (disease).

Furry Lewis

Blues guitarist and songwriter (1893–1981).

Born March 6th, 1895 in Greenwood.

Died September 14th, 1981 at 86 years old in Memphis.

Rosa Ponselle

American operatic soprano (1897–1981).

Born January 22nd, 1897 in Meriden.

Died May 25th, 1981 at 84 years old in Baltimore (cancer).

Paul Mattick

German-american marxist political writer and social revolutionary (1904-1981).

Born March 13th, 1904 in Słupsk.

Died February 7th, 1981 at 76 years old in Cambridge.

Du Yuming

Chinese lieutenant general (1904–1981).

Born November 28th, 1904 in Mizhi County.

Died May 7th, 1981 at 76 years old in Beijing.

Jeannette Piccard

American balloonist, scientist, teacher and priest (1895-1981).

Born January 5th, 1895 in Chicago.

Died May 17th, 1981 at 86 years old in Minneapolis.

Yitzhak Zuckerman

Polish jewish resistance fighter, survivor of the warsaw ghetto uprising (1915-1981).

Born December 13th, 1915 in Vilnius.

Died June 17th, 1981 at 65 years old in Lohamei HaGeta'ot.

Lyudmila Zhivkova

Bulgarian minister (1942-1981).

Born July 26th, 1942 in Govedartsi.

Died July 21st, 1981 at 38 years old in Sofia (brain tumor).

Bhagwati Charan Verma

Indian writer (1903-1981).

Born August 30th, 1903 in Safipur.

Died October 5th, 1981 at 78 years old in New Delhi.

Mohammad Javad Bahonar

Iranian cleric (1933-1981).

Born September 5th, 1933 in Kerman.

Died August 30th, 1981 at 47 years old in Tehran (explosive device).

Antonio Berni

Argentine artist (1905-1981).

Born May 14th, 1905 in Rosario. [ref]

Died October 13th, 1981 at 76 years old in Buenos Aires.

Helmut Gröttrup

German engineer and inventor of the smart card (1916-1981).

Born February 12th, 1916 in Cologne.

Died July 4th, 1981 at 65 years old in Munich.

Enid Markey

American actress of stage, film and television (1894–1981).

Born February 22nd, 1894 in Dillon.

Died November 15th, 1981 at 87 years old in Bay Shore (disease).

Mao Dun

Chinese writer (1896-1981).

Born July 4th, 1896 in Tongxiang City.

Died March 27th, 1981 at 84 years old in Beijing.

Edward Lasker

German-american chess player (1885-1981).

Born December 3rd, 1885 in Kępno.

Died March 25th, 1981 at 95 years old in New York City.

Russell Hayden

American actor (1912-1981).

Born June 12th, 1912 in Chico.

Died June 9th, 1981 at 68 years old in Palm Springs.

Enid Bagnold

English dramatist, playwright, memoirist (1889-1981).

Born October 27th, 1889 in Rochester.

Died March 31st, 1981 at 91 years old in 17, Hamilton Terrace Nw8 (bronchopneumonia).

Barry Jones

British actor (1893–1981).

Born March 6th, 1893 in Guernsey.

Died May 1st, 1981 at 88 years old in Guernsey.

Jean Eustache

French film director and editor (1938–1981).

Born November 30th, 1938 in Pessac.

Died November 5th, 1981 at 42 years old in 17th arrondissement of Paris (gunshot wound).

Werner Teske

Stasi colonel, executed for treason (1942–1981).

Born April 24th, 1942 in Berlin.

Died June 26th, 1981 at 39 years old in Leipzig (execution by shooting).

Ivan Galamian

American musician (1903–1981).

Born January 23rd, 1903 in Tabriz.

Died April 14th, 1981 at 78 years old in New York City.

Jean Dixon

American stage and film actress (1896–1981).

Born July 14th, 1896 in Waterbury.

Died February 12th, 1981 at 84 years old in New York City.

Grunya Sukhareva

Ukrainian-russian psychiatrist and university teacher (1891-1981).

Born November 11th, 1891 in Kyiv.

Died April 26th, 1981 at 89 years old in Moscow.

Nahum Eitingon

Soviet intelligence officer (1899–1981).

Born December 6th, 1899 in Škłow.

Died May 3rd, 1981 at 81 years old in Moscow.

Big Walter Horton

American blues harmonica player (1921–1981).

Born April 6th, 1921 in Horn Lake.

Died December 8th, 1981 at 60 years old in Chicago (heart failure).

Deaths 201 to 225 of 628

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Man always thinks about the past before he dies, as if he were frantically searching for proof that he truly lived. Jet Black