- May 1 Gordon Jenkins, American arranger and orchestra leader (Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra), dies of Lou Gehrig's disease at 73
- May 4 Diana Dors [Fluck], British actress and singer (Berserk!, Steaming), dies of cancer at 52
- May 4 Larry Stock, American singer-songwriter (Blueberry Hill), dies at 87
- May 10 Jean-Louis Viale, French jazz drummer, dies at 51
- May 25 Piet Ketting, Dutch pianist/conductor/composer, dies at 79