- May 3 Dalida [Yolande Christina Gigliotti], French-Italian actress (The Sixth Day), singer (Bambino), and Miss Egypt 1954, commits suicide at 54
- May 4 Paul Butterfield, American blues singer and harmonica player (Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Better Days), dies of drug abuse at 44
- May 12 Victor Feldman, British jazz pianist and drummer, dies of a heart attack at 53
- May 13 Phil Moore, American jazz pianist, arranger, and bandleader, dies at 70
- May 22 Mario Zafred, Italian composer, and opera director dies at 65
- May 23 Karel Albert, Flemish composer (Marieken van Nymeghen), dies at 86
- May 26 Emiliana de ZubeldÃa, Spanish-Mexican concert pianist, composer - chiefly for guitar (Landscape Basko), and educator (Academy of Music at the University of Sonora, 1947-87), dies at 98
- May 29 Phyllis Tate, English composer, dies at 76
- May 30 Melvin "Turk" Murphy, American Dixieland jazz trombonist, dies at 71
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers