- May 4 Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, Jamaican record producer, dies of a heart attack at 72
- May 5 José Maceda, Filipino composer and ethnomusicologist, dies at 87
- May 5 Ritsuko Okazaki, Japanese singer-songwriter (Kanashii Jiyū / Koi ga, Kiete Yuku), dies at 44
- May 6 Barney Kessel, American jazz and session guitarist (The Wrecking Crew), dies at 80
- May 7 Rudi Maugeri, Canadian doo-wop vocalist (Crew Cuts - "Sh-Boom"), and broadcaster, dies of cancer at 73
- May 11 John Whitehead, American songwriter and soul singer (McFadden & Whitehead - "Ain't No Stopping Us Now"), murdered outside of his home at 55
- May 12 John LaPorta, American jazz clarinetist and composer, dies at 84
- May 15 Clint Warwick [Albert Eccles], English bassist (Moody Blues), dies at 63
- May 16 Marius Constant, Romanian-born French composer and conductor (founded Ars Nova), dies at 79
- May 17 Edgardo Martín, Cuban classical pianist, composer, and educator, dies at 88
- May 18 Elvin Jones, American jazz drummer (Coltrane's "A Love Supreme"), dies of heart failure at 76
- May 27 Denis ApIvor, British composer, dies at 88
- May 31 Étienne Roda-Gil, French songwriter and screenwriter, dies at 62
- May 31 Robert Quine, American rock guitarist (Lou Reed; Matthew Sweet; John Zorn), dies of an intentional heroin overdose at 61
Country Singers
Jazz Singers
Opera Singers
Pop Singers
Rappers
Rock Singers