- May 2 Hide [Hideto Matsumoto], Japanese rock guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer (X Japan; Zilch), takes his own life at 33
- May 5 Syd Lawrence, British bandleader (Syd Lawrence Orchestra), dies at 74
- May 7 Eddie Rabbitt, American songwriter ("Kentucky Rain"), and country singer ("I Love a Rainy Night"), dies of lung cancer at 56
- May 9 Alice Faye [Leppert], American actress and singer (Hello Frisco, Hello; Fallen Angel; Stowaway), dies of stomach cancer at 83
Frank Sinatra (1915-1998)
May 14 American singer (Strangers in the Night; My Way; The Summer Wind) and actor (From Here to Eternity; Guys and Dolls), known as the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", dies at 82
- May 19 (Edwin) "Ted" Astley, British arranger, bandleader, and film and television composer (The Mouse That Roared; The Saint), dies at 76
- May 19 Dorothy Donegan, American boogie-woogie, swing jazz, and classical pianist, and vocalist, dies of cancer at 76
- May 20 Robert Normann, Norwegian jazz guitar pioneer, accordionist, and composer, dies at 81
- May 22 Milton Banana [Antônio de Souza], Brazilian bossa nova jazz drummer (João Gilberto and Stan Getz), dies at 63
- May 26 Linda Hayes [Bertha Williams], American R&B singer (Yes I Know), dies at 74
- May 27 Ghazar Saryan, Armenian composer (Symphonic Panels on motifs by Saryan; Day of Peace), and educator (Komitas State Conservatory, 1960-86), dies at 77
- May 30 Klaus Hashagen, German composer (Ars Nova Ensemble Nürnberg), dies at 73
- May 31 Aart Verstegen, Dutch ballet dancer and choreographer (Jolly Joker's Last Joke), dies at 77
- May 31 Frank Motley, American R&B and jazz double-trumpeter and bandleader (The Motley Crew), dies at 74
- May 31 Stanislaw Wislocki, Polish conductor of classical music, dies at 76
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers