- May 1 Anna Pollak, English mezzo-soprano, born in Manchester (d. 1996)
- May 1 Felipe Padilla de León, Filipino composer, born in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, Philippine Islands (d. 1992)
- May 3 Virgil Fox, American organist, born in Princeton, Illinois (d. 1980)
- May 4 Lou Brown, American orchestra leader (Jerry Lewis Show), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2007)
- May 10 Erik Jorgensen, Danish composer, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2005)
- May 12 Marshall Royal, American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist (Count Basie Orchestra), born in Sapulpa, Oklahoma (d. 1995)
- May 13 Gil Evans, Canadian-American jazz pianist, composer and arranger (Miles Davis; Absolute Beginners, Out of the Cool), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 1988)
- May 15 Arthur Berger, American composer (Ideas of Order), music critic, and educator (Brandeis, 1953-80; New England Conservatory of Music, 1980-99), born in New York City (d. 2003)
- May 17 Sándor Végh, Hungarian-French violinist teacher and conductor, born in Kolozsvár, Transylvania, Austria-Hungary (d. 1997)
- May 18 [Pierino] Perry Como, American singer ("Catch A Falling Star") and TV personality (The Perry Como Show), born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania (d. 2001)
- May 24 Dame Joan Hood Hammond, Australian operatic soprano, born in Christchurch, New Zealand (d. 1996)
- May 25 Eddie Maxwell [Cherkose], American lyricist (Breathless) and actor, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 1999)
- May 31 Alfred Deller, British countertenor, born in Margate, England (d. 1979)
About May 1912
How Old? 111 or 112 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: Yes
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers