- May 1 Amalia of Saxen-Weimar-Eisenach, Dutch princess and wife of Prince Henry of the Netherlands, dies at 42
- May 15 Thomas Hastings, American composer, dies at 87
- May 17 Eduard Sobolewski, Polish-American violinist and composer, dies at 63
- May 19 Johan Hendrik van Dale, Dutch schoolmaster and lexicographer(Van Dale's Great Dictionary of the Dutch Language), dies of smallpox at 44
- May 24 Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter and designer who figured importantly in the German Nazarene movement, dies at 78
- May 29 John Gill Shorter, American politician (17th Governor of Alabama), dies at 54
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning