- May 1 Marina Stepanova, Russian 400m hurdler (3-time world record holder), born in St. Petersburg, Russia
- May 1 Dann Florek, American actor (Law & Order), born in Flat Rock, Michigan
- May 1 Danny McGrain, Scottish soccer right-back (Celtic, 62 Scotland caps), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- May 2 Lou Gramm, American rocker (Foreigner-Want to Know What Love Is), born in Rochester, New York
- May 2 Duncan Gay, Australian politician, Vice-President of the Executive Council (2014-17), born in Crookwell, New South Wales
- May 3 Mary Hopkin, Welsh folk singer (Those Were the Days), born in Pontardawe, Wales
- May 4 Darryl Hunt, English pop bassist (Pogues-Pair of Brown Eyes), born in Christchurch, New Zealand
- May 4 Hilly Hicks, American actor (Roll Out, Roots), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 4 René van Asten, Dutch actor (Herenstraat 10), born in Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
- May 5 Maggie MacNeal, Dutch singer (Mouth & MacNeal, I See a Star)
- May 5 Googoosh, Faegheh Atashin (فائقه آتشین), Iranian, Persian Singer & actress
- May 6 Robbie McIntosh, drummer (Avg White Band-Show your Hand)
- May 7 Prairie Prince, American rocker (Tubes), born in Charlotte, North Carolina
- May 7 Randall 'Tex' Cobb, American boxer and actor, born in Bridge City, Texas
Tim Russert
May 7 Tim Russert, American television journalist and host of NBC's Meet the Press, born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2008)
Tim Russert
- May 9 James A Butts, American triple jumper (Olympic silver 1976), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 9 Matthew Kelly, actor/TV host (Holding the Fort, Relative Strangers)
- May 9 Tom Petersson, rock bassist (Cheap Trick), born in Rockford, Illinois
- May 10 Sally James [Cann], British children's TV-show presenter (Tiswas), born in Chiswick, London
- May 11 Dane Lorg, American baseball player (Philles, Cardinels), born in Eureka, California
- May 11 Jeremy Paxman, English broadcaster (University Challenge, Newsnight), born in Leeds, England
- May 11 John Kelly, American General, President Trump's Chief of Staff (2017-), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- May 12 Billy Squier, Mass, heavy metal guitarist (Don't Say No)
- May 12 Bruce Boxleitner, Elgin Ill, actor (Scarecrow & Mrs King, Babylon 5)
- May 12 Gabriel Byrne, actor (Hello Again, Cool World), born in Dublin, Ireland
- May 12 Jocko Marcellino, rocker (Sha Na Na)
- May 12 Renate Stecher-Meissner, German DR, sprinter (Olympic gold 1972)
- May 12 Shōzō Fujii, Japanese judoka (4x World Champion 1971-79)
- May 13 Danny Kirwan, British musician, singer and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac- "Albatross"), born in London, England (d. 2018)
- May 13 John "Jocko" Marcellino, rocker/actor (Tagget, Hot to Trot, Rain Man)
Stevie Wonder
May 13 Stevie Wonder [Stevland Hardaway Morris], American singer-songwriter (You are the Sunshine of My Life), born in Saginaw, Michigan
Stevie Wonder
- May 14 Mark Blum, actor (Worth Winning, Blind Date, Presidio), born in Newark, New Jersey
- May 14 Jill Stein, American physician, activist and Green Party nominee for President (2016), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 15 Nicholas Hammond, American actor (The Amazing Spider-Man), born in Washington D.C.
- May 16 Jock Bartley, rocker (Firefall)
- May 16 Johannes Bednorz, German superconductivity physicist (Nobel 1987)
- May 16 Ray Condo, Canadian rockabilly musician
- May 17 Alan Johnson, British politician (Home Secretary 2009-10), born in London
- May 17 Howard Ashman, American lyricist (d. 1991)
- May 17 Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian politician
- May 18 Rodney Milburn Jr, USA, hurdler (Olympic gold 1972)
- May 18 Thomas Gottschalk, German radio and TV host (Telespiele), born in Bamberg, Germany
- May 20 Yvon Lambert, French Canadian ice hockey player
- May 20 Reinaldo Merlo, Argentine footballer
- May 22 Bernie Taupin, British singer and lyricist (writes with Elton John), born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire
- May 22 Alekos Alavanos, Greek politician
- May 23 Linda Thompson, actress (Hee Haw), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- May 23 Martin McGuinness, Irish Sinn Féin politician and IRA member, born in Derry (d. 2017)
- May 24 Jo Ann Washam, LPGA golfer
- May 24 Larry Seidlin, American judge
- May 25 Robert "Robby" Steinhardt, American rock violinist and singer (Kansas), born in Lawrence, Kansas
- May 28 Ian Bradley, British writer and academic
- May 28 Jim Harris, American professional wrestler
- May 29 Rebbie [Maureen] Jackson, singer (R U Tuff Enuff), born in Gary, Indiana
- May 29 Talat Ali, cricketer (Pakistani opening batsman in ten Tests 1972-80)
- May 30 Bertrand Delanoë, French politician
- May 30 Paresh Rawal, Indian Bollywood actor (Woh Chokri, Woh Chokri), born in Bombay, India
- May 31 Edward Barker, cartoonist
- May 31 Gregory Harrison, Catalina California, actor (Trapper John, Logan's Run)