- May 1 Willem A Scholten, Dutch potato-flour manufacturer, dies at 89
- May 2 Wilhelm Rust, German musicologist and composer, dies at 69
- May 5 August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist (b. 1818)
- May 5 Jan Nepomuk Škroup, Czech composer, dies at 80
- May 6 Ernest Guiraud, French opera composer (Piccolino; Sylvie), arranger (Bizet), and teacher, dies at 54
- May 15 Arthur Hodister, British ivory seller (Heart of Darkness), murdered at 44
- May 16 John Banvard, American artist who painted worlds largest painting (3 mile canvas), dies at 75
- May 16 Théodore-Joseph Canneel, Flemish painter, dies at 74
- May 17 Gyorgy Klapka, Hungarian general/parliament leader, dies at 72
- May 29 Baha'u'llah [Mirza HA Noeri], Persian founder (Baha'i), dies at 74
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning