Ethelda Bleibtrey (1902-1978)
May 6 American swimmer (Olympic gold 100m, 300m, 4x100m freestyle relay 1920; first US female champion), dies at 76
- May 6 Ko van Dijk Jr, Dutch stage, screen, and radio actor and director (Dagboek van een herdershond), dies of a heart attack at 61
Aldo Moro (1916-1978)
May 9 Italian Prime Minister (1963-68 and 1974-76), assassinated by the Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization Red Brigades at 61
Robert Menzies (1894-1978)
May 15 12th Prime Minister of Australia (United Australia Party: 1939-41, Liberal: 1949-66) and its longest-serving, dies of a heart attack at 83
- May 16 William Steinberg, German-American conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony, 1952-76; Boston Symphony, 1969-71), dies at 78
- May 17 Armin T. Wegner, German medic, photographer, writer, and civil rights activist (documented the Armenian Genocide), dies at 92 [1]
- May 17 Selwyn Lloyd, British politician (Foreign Secretary, 1955-60; Exchequers, 1960-62; Leader of the House of Commons, 1963–64; Speaker of the House of Commons, 1971-76), dies of a brain tumor at 73
- May 19 George Gladstone, cricketer (one Test WI v England 1930), dies
- May 20 Ivan Harold Browning, American stage and screen actor and singer (Shuffle Along - "I'm Just Wild About Harry"), dies at 87
- May 21 Jo Spier [Joseph Spier], Dutch cartoonist and water color painter, dies at 77
- May 22 Bjarne Brustad, Norwegian composer, dies at 83
- May 26 Cybele, Greek actress (b. 1887)
- May 28 Arthur Brough, English actor (b. 1905)
- May 29 Carl Reynolds, American baseball outfielder who was 2nd player in MLB history to hit HRs in 3 consecutive innings 1930; Chicago White Sox, dies at 75
- May 31 József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (Budapest Honvéd), dies at 52 due to heart failure
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning