Events in Music
- May 3 "Mikado" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 46 performances
- May 9 32nd Eurovision Song Contest: Johnny Logan for Ireland wins singing "Hold Me Now" in Brussels
- May 16 "Mystery of Edwin Drood" closes at Imperial NYC after 608 performances
Event of Interest
May 16 Weird Al Yankovic performs live at 72nd National Orange Show
Weird Al Yankovic
- May 17 "Stardust" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 102 performances
Event of Interest
May 29 Michael Jackson attempts to buy Elephant Man's remains
Michael Jackson
Birthdays in Music
- May 2 Nana Kitade, Japanese singer and songwriter, born in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
- May 3 Michael Kiwanuka, English singer-songwriter (Love & Hate), born in London, England
- May 4 Anjeza Shahini, Albanian singer (The Image of You), born in Tirana, Albania
- May 5 Marija Šestić, Bosnian singer (Rijeka bez imena), born in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
- May 15 Jennylyn Mercado, Filipina actress and singer
- May 24 Dominika Kasprzycka, Polish singer, born in Skarżysko-Kamienna, Poland
Weddings in Music
- May 16 Rocker David Crosby weds Jan Dance in LA
Deaths in Music
- May 3 Dalida [Yolande Christina Gigliotti], Egyptian-born Italian French singer, commits suicide at 54
- May 4 Paul Butterfield, singer/harmonica player, dies of drug abuse at 44
- May 12 Victor Feldman, British jazz pianist and drummer, dies at 53 of a heart attack
- May 22 Mario Zafred, composer, dies at 65
- May 23 Karel Albert, Flemish composer (Marieken van Nymeghen), dies at 86
- May 29 Phyllis Tate, English composer, dies at 76
- May 30 Turk Murphy, jazz trombonist, dies at 71