- May 1 George Pravda, Czech actor, dies at 68
- May 2 Hal LeRoy, dancer/actor (Harold Teen), dies at 71 after surgery
- May 2 Milton S Eisenhower, US diplomat, dies at 85
- May 2 Attilio Bettega, Italian rallydriver (b.1951)
- May 2 Larry Clinton, American trumpeter and bandleader (b. 1909)
- May 2 Bridget D'Oyly Carte, British theater & hotel director, dies of lung cancer at 77
- May 4 Clarence Wiseman, the 10th General of The Salvation Army (b. 1907)
- May 5 Sir Donald Bailey, British civil engineer (b. 1901)
- May 6 Julie Vega, Filipina child actress and singer, dies at 16
- May 6 Pete Desjardins, American platform and springboard diver (Olympic gold 1928), dies at 78
- May 7 Dawn Addams, British actress (A King in New York, Star Maidens) who married the Prince of Roccasecca, dies of cancer at 54
- May 8 Adolphus "Dolph" Sweet, American actor (Gimme a Break, Which Way is Up), dies of cancer at 64
- May 8 Redmond "Edmond" O'Brien, American actor (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Sam Benedict, Johnny Midnight), dies of Alzheimer's at 69
- May 8 Karl Marx, German composer/conductor, dies at 87
- May 9 Reginald Dixon, British theatre organist, dies at 80
- May 11 Chester Gould, American cartoonist (Dick Tracy), dies at 84
- May 11 Garmt Stuiveling, Dutch writer & poet (Ego & Echo), dies at 77
- May 11 Jorja Curtright, American actor (Whistle Stop), dies of a heart attack at 89
- May 12 Jean Debuffet, French painter and sculptor (Landscape with 2 Personages), dies at 83
- May 12 Jean Dubuffet, French painter & sculptor, dies at 83
- May 13 Leatrice Joy, silent screen star, dies in Riverdale (Bronx) NYC at 91
- May 13 Selma Diamond, Canadian born American comedienne (Selma-Night Court), dies of cancer at 64
- May 13 Revaz Dogonadze, Georgian scientist (one of the founders of Quantum electrochemistry), dies at 53
- May 14 Mohammed Munir, Indonesian worker's union leader, executed
- May 15 Jackie Curtis, actor (Underground USA), dies of a drug overdose at 38
Margaret Hamilton
May 16 Margaret Hamilton, American actress (The Wizard of Oz), dies at 82
Margaret Hamilton
- May 17 Bobby Ewing, (Patrick Duffy) killed off on Dallas
- May 17 Hugh Burden, actor (Night of Laughing Dead), dies at 72
- May 17 Abe Burrows, songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910)
- May 18 Tex Terry, American actor (Apache Rose, Timberjack), dies at 82
- May 18 Stojan Daskalov, Bulgarian writer (A Farm), dies at 75
- May 18 Harald Andersson, Swedish discus thrower (world record 52.42m 1934), dies at 78
- May 20 George Memmoli, actor (Earl-Hello Larry), dies at 46
- May 25 Harold Hecht, choreographer, dies at 77 of cancer
- May 25 Robert Nathan, American writer/poet (Portrait of Jennie), dies at 91
- May 27 Kay Campbell, actress (All My Children), dies at 80
- May 29 39 people die in a confrontation at Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Belgium when Juventus and Italian fans are crushed against a wall escaping a breach by Liverpool fans
- May 29 Madge West, American actress (McLean Stevenson Show), dies at 93