- May 1 Billy Byers, American jazz trombonist and arranger, dies on his 79th birthday
- May 3 Patsy Montana [Ruby Rose Blevins], American country singer, songwriter and yodeler ("I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart"), dies at 81
- May 5 Salli Terri [Stella Tirri], Canadian-American Grammy Award-winning pop-classical-folk-exotica singer, arranger, composer (Duets with the Spanish Guitar), musicologist, and educator, dies after a series of strokes at 75
- May 8 Celedonio Romero, Spanish-American guitarist (The Romero Guitar Quartet), composer (La Catedral de Colonia), and poet, dies of lung cancer at 83
- May 8 Jane Cowan, British cello teacher (International Cello Centre), dies at 80
- May 10 Ethel Smith [Goldsmith], American pop and Latin style Hammond organist ("Tico Tico", "Monkey on a String"), dies at 93
- May 11 Bruce Boyce, Canadian-American baritone singer, and teacher (Royal Academy - London, England), dies at 85
- May 11 Walter Hyatt, American singer-songwriter (Uncle Walt's Band), dies in a plane crash in the Florida Everglades at 46
- May 15 George Tindley, American soul singer and songwriter, dies at 58
- May 17 Johnny "Guitar" Watson, American R&B and funk guitarist ("Space Guitar"; "A Real Mother for Ya"), dies on stage of heart attack in Yokohama, Japan at 61
- May 18 Kevin Gilbert, American singer, composer and instrumentalist (Toy Matinee; Tuesday Night Music Club), dies of accidental asphyxiation at 29
- May 19 Frank Carlson, American jazz and session drummer (Woody Herman, 1937-42 - "The Golden Wedding"), dies at 82
- May 20 Jack Wyngaard, South African dancer (London City Ballet, 1986-96), dies of a heart attack at 37
- May 21 Peter Fletcher, British orchestral and choral conductor, music educator and author (Roll Over Rock), dies at 60
- May 24 Jacob Druckman, American composer (Animus; Windows), dies at 67
- May 25 Barney Wilen, French tenor, composer and saxophonist, dies of cancer at 59
- May 25 Bradley Nowell, American ska musician (Sublime), dies of a heroin overdose at 28
- May 26 Matima Kinuani Mpiosso, Zairen rock guitarist (Zaika Langa-Langa), dies at 45
- May 27 Albert "Pud" Brown, American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, dies at 79
- May 27 Ivan Sutton, British classical music concert promoter (City Music Society), dies at 82
- May 28 Jimmy Rowles [Hunter], American jazz pianist and composer (The Peacocks), dies of cardiac arrest at 77
- May 28 Julian Krein [Yulian Kreyn], Russian composer (Razrusheniye (Destruction)), and musicologist, dies at 83
- May 29 Tamara Toumanova, Georgian-American prima ballerina (Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo), dies at 77
- May 30 Bob Stroup, trombonist, dies at 57
- May 30 John Kahn, American acoustic and electric rock bassist (Jerry Garcia), dies of a heart attack at 47
- May 31 Elsbeary Hobbs, American rocker (Drifters), dies at 59
- May 31 Ton de Leeuw, Dutch composer, dies at 69
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers