- May 10 Mihail Jora, Romanian composer, dies at 79
- May 10 Shukichi Mitsukuri, Japanese composer (10 Haikai de Basho), dies at 75
- May 13 Valerian Mikhaylovich Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Russian composer, dies 67
- May 19 Bernard Wagenaar, Dutch-American composer (3 Songs for Chinese), dies at 76
- May 22 Frank Ottersen, Norwegian jazz violinist and saxophonist (Ding, Dong, Dang), dies at 50
- May 25 Mark Brunswick, American composer, dies at 69
- May 29 Max Trapp, German composer, dies at 83
- May 30 Marcel Dupré, French organist and composer, dies at 85
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers