- May 4 Geraldo [Gerald Walcan Bright], British "sweet music" dance band lbandeader (Gaucho Tango Orchestra), dies of a heart attack at 69
- May 4 Israel Citkowitz, Polish-American composer (The Lambs), and pedagogue, dies at 65
- May 4 John Wengraf, Austrian actor (12 to the Moon, Pride & Passion), dies at 77
- May 7 Hans van Werveke, Belgian historian (Diocese Terwaan), dies at 76
- May 8 Graham Bond, British R&B musician, dies jumping under a train at 36
- May 9 Lyubomir Pipkov, Bulgarian pianist, composer, music educator, and (with his father) Antarctic glacier namesake, dies at 69
- May 10 Hal Mohr [Harold Leon Mohr], American Cinematographer and husband of Evelyn Venable (Captain Blood), dies at 74
Denny Shute (1904-1974)
May 13 American golfer (British Open 1933, PGA C'ship 1936-37), dies at 69
- May 13 Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican politician, 2nd Director-General of the UNESCO (1948-52), dies at 72
- May 15 Guy Simonds, Canadian army, youngest General officer, dies at 71
- May 17 Charles Braswell, American actor (Only Game in Town), dies at 49
- May 17 Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and archaeologist, dies at 75
- May 18 Dan Topping, American baseball team owner (NY Yankees), dies at 61
- May 19 Titanic Thompson, American gambler and hustler, dies at 80
- May 23 Kathleen Cannell, American fashion and dance writer, dies at 82
- May 24 Edward "Duke" Ellington, American bandleader, composer and pianist ("Take the A Train"; "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"), dies of cancer at 75
- May 25 Donald Crisp, British actor and director (How Green Was My Valley, Pollyana), dies at 91
- May 26 Kitty Gordon, English entertainer, dies at 96
- May 26 Silvio Moser, Swiss racing driver (b. 1941)
- May 31 Adelle Davis, American nutritionist and author (Let's Stay Healthy), dies of cancer at 70
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning