- May 1 Bruce Robinson, actor (Story of Adele H)
- May 1 Jerry Weiss, American jazz musician (Blood, Sweat & Tears), born in NYC, New York
- May 1 Joanna Lumley, British actress (Absolutely Fabulous, OHM's Secret Service), born in Kashmir, India
- May 1 John Woo, Hong Kong director
- May 1 Nick Fortuna, American rock bassist (The Buckinghams), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 2 David Suchet, British actor (Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Way We Live Now), born in Paddington, London, England
- May 2 Lesley Gore [Goldstein], American pop singer ("It's My Party"; "You Don't Own Me"), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2015)
- May 3 Greg Gumbel, American sportscaster (CBS TV, WFAN), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- May 3 Norm Chow, American football coach, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- May 4 John Watson, Northern Irish racecar driver, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- May 4 Renee Powell, American golfer, broadcaster (first woman to compete in a men's golf tournament), born in East Canton, Ohio
- May 4 Richard L. Brodsky, American lawyer and NY State Assemblyman (D) (1983-2010), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 6 Jim Ramstad, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota), born in Jamestown, North Dakota
- May 6 Susan Brown, English actress (The Iron Lady, Game of Thrones), born in Bristol, England
- May 7 Bill Danoff, American vocalist (Starland Vocal Band), born in Springfield, Massachusetts
- May 7 Bill Kreutzmann, American rock drummer (Grateful Dead), born in Palo Alto, California
- May 7 Brian Turner, British celebrity chef, born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
- May 8 André Boulerice, Quebec politician and gay rights activist, born in Joliette, Quebec
- May 9 Candice Bergen, Beverly Hills, actress (Carnal Knowledge, Murphy Brown)
- May 10 Dave Mason, British guitarist and singer-songwriter ("We Just Disagree"), born in Worcester, England
Donovan (76 years old)
May 10 Scottish guitarist and singer-songwriter ("Sunshine Superman"; "Mellow Yellow"; "Season Of The Witch"), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- May 10 Graham Gouldman, English bassist and singer-songwriter (10cc), born in Manchester, England
- May 10 Maureen Lipman, actress (Educating Rita, Wonderworks)
- May 11 (Michel) "Plume" Latraverse, Canadian rock and blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist, born in Montreal, Quebec
- May 11 Robert Jarvik, American scientist and researcher (developed the Jarvik-7 artificial heart), born in Midland, Michigan
- May 12 L. Neil Smith, American sci-fi author (Lando Calrissian novels), born in Denver, Colorado
- May 12 Leonard Baichan, West Indian cricketer (WI opener, 103 v Pakistan on debut 1975), born in Rose Hall, British Guiana
- May 13 Tim Pigott-Smith, English actor (Jewel in Crown, King Charles III), born in Rugby, England (d. 2017)
- May 14 Alan David Marks, American concert pianist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1995)
- May 16 Jessi B Wilson, Mississippi, murderer (FBI Most Wanted List)
- May 16 Robert Fripp, British progressive rock guitarist, composer (King Crimson - "21st Century Schizoid Man"; Fripp & Eno; Bowie - "Heroes"), record producer (Roches; Peter Gabriel; Darryl Hall), and Mr. Toyah Wilcox, born in Wimborne Minster, Dorset
- May 16 Roger Earl, British drummer (Foghat - "Slow Ride"), born in Hampton Court Palace, London, England
- May 17 F. Paul Wilson, American novelist
- May 17 Sinaida Turchina, USSR, team handball (Olympic gold 1976)
- May 17 Udo Lindenberg, German musician, born in Gronau, Westphalia
- May 18 Andreas Katsulas, American actor (Babylon 5), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2006)
- May 18 Frank Hsieh, Taiwanese politician, Premier of Taiwan (2005-6), born in Taipei, Taiwan
Reggie Jackson (76 years old)
May 18 American Baseball HOF right fielder (14 x MLB All Star; World Series 1972, 73 [MVP], 74, 77 [MVP], 78; AL MVP 1973; Oakland A's, NY Yankees,), born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania
André the Giant (1946-1993)
May 19 French pro wrestler (WWF World Heavyweight C'ship 1988; WWF World Tag Team C'ship [with Haku] 1989), born in Grenoble, France
- May 19 Claude Lelièvre, Belgian commissioner for children's rights
- May 19 Diedre Lenihan, actress (Wendy-Needles & Pins), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- May 19 Michele Placido, Foggia Italy, actor (La Lupa, Poliziotti)
- May 19 Trevor Veitch, Canadian-American folk-rock musician (3's a Crowd, Tom Rush), and pop record producer (Toni Basil's "Mickey"), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- May 20 Bakhaavaa Buidaa, Mongolia, wrestler (Olympic silver 1972) disqualified
- May 20 Bobby Murcer, American baseball outfielder (5-time MLB All Star), born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (d. 2008)
Cher (76 years old)
May 20 American singer ("I Got You Babe"; "If I Could Turn Back Time"), and actress (Mask; Moonstruck), born in El Centro, California
- May 20 Craig Patrick, American NHL center and executive (USA Olympic gold 1980; GM Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup 1991-92, 2009), born in Detroit, Michigan
- May 21 David Hill, Australian TV-reporter and owner (Fox Sports)
- May 22 George Best, Northern Irish footballer (Manchester United, Northern Ireland), born in Belfast
- May 22 Howard Kendall, English footballer and football manager (Everton), born in Ryton, County Durham (d. 2015)
- May 23 Danny Klein, American rock bassist (J Geils Band - "Centerfold"), born in NYC, New York
- May 23 David Graham, Australian golfer (PGA C'ship 1979, US Open 1981), born in Windsor, NSW
- May 23 Famoudou Don Moye, American jazz percussionist and drummer (Art Ensemble of Chicago), born in Rochester, New York
- May 23 Frederik de Groot, Dutch actor
- May 23 H. Paul Shuch, American scientist who coordinated radio amateurs to search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 24 Irina Szewińska, Polish athlete, administrator (Olympic various sprint gold 1964, 68, 76), born in Leningrad, Russia (d. 2018)
- May 24 Jeremy Treglown, English scholar and editor (TLS)
- May 24 Steve Upton, British-Welsh rock drummer (Wishbone Ash, 1969-90 - There's the Rub; Locked In), born in Wrexham, Wales
- May 24 Thomas Nordahl, Swedish soccer midfielder and manager (15 caps; Örebro), born in Norrköping, Sweden
- May 25 David A. Hargrave, American role-playing games (RPGs) designer (d. 1988)
- May 25 Irena Szewińska, Polish 200m runner (Olympic Gold 1964, 68, 76), born in Leningrad, Russian SSR, Soviet Union
- May 25 Janet Morris, American sci-fi author (Golden Sword, Tempus), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- May 25 Timothy "Tim" Hinkley, British singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Jody Grind), born in London
- May 25 Tommy Cecil, Irish ferryman, born on Rathlin Island, County Antrim (d. 1997)
- May 26 Mick Ronson, English rock guitarist and producer (Mott the Hoople; The Spiders From Mars), born in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 1993)
- May 26 Neshka Robeva, Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast (World C'ship 3 x silver, 1 x bronze 1969) and coach (World, European and Olympic competition, 294 medals), born in Rousse, Bulgaria
- May 27 Lewis Collins, English actor, (d. 2013)
- May 27 Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Danish jazz double bassist, born in Osted, Zealand, Denmark (d. 2005)
- May 28 Madeleine Le Roux, Wyoming, Broadway actress (Cry Uncle)
- May 28 Satchidanandan, Indian poet
- May 28 Skip Jutze, American baseball player
- May 29 Fernando Buesa, Basque politician (d. 2000)
- May 29 Robin Johnson, American actress (Times Square: Baby, It's You), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 30 Candy Lightner, American political activist/founder (MADD), born in Pasadena, California
- May 31 Debbie Moore, British model and businesswoman (founder & CEO Pineapple Dance Studios & clothing), born in Urmston, Lancashire, England
- May 31 Steve Bucknor, Jamaican cricket umpire (record 128 Tests, 181 ODIs; FIFA referee), born in Montego Bay, Jamaica
- May 31 Ted Baehr, American Christian media critic
About May 1946
How Old? 76 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No