- May 1 (Edwin) Eddie Chamblee, American jazz and R&B saxophonist, bandleader, and occasional vocalist, dies at 79
- May 6 Dennis Riley, American composer (Masques (for wind quintet)), dies at 55
- May 10 Shel Silverstein, American writer and cartoonist (Now Here's My Plan: A Book of Futilities; The Giving Tree) and songwriter ("A Boy Named Sue"; "The Cover Of The Rolling Stone"), dies at 68
- May 17 Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian musician and record producer (Loverboy; Bon Jovi; Aerosmith), dies at 49
- May 18 Augustus Pablo, Jamaican musician (King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown), dies at 44
- May 18 Freddy Randall, English jazz trumpeter, dies at 78
- May 19 James Blades, British classical percussionist, and educator, dies at 97
- May 21 Karnail "Bugz" Pitts, American rapper (D12), killed in a picnic dispute at 21
- May 26 Paul Sacher, Swiss conductor and entrepreneur, dies at 93
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers