- May 1 Henry Cooper, English boxer (British, European, C'wealth heavyweight champion; famous defeats to Muhammad Ali 1963, 66), dies of heart failure at 76
- May 1 Ted Lowe, English snooker commentator (Pot Black, BBC), dies at 90
- May 3 Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer (b. 1936)
- May 5 Yosef Merimovich, Israeli football player, 1948-58, and manager, 1958-89, dies at 86
Seve Ballesteros (1957-2011)
May 7 Spanish golfer (British Open 1979, 84, 88, US Masters 1980, 83), dies of brain cancer at 54
Harmon Killebrew (1936-2011)
May 17 American Baseball HOF utility (13 × MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1969; 6 × AL HR leader; Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins), dies from esophageal cancer at 74
- May 25 Paul Splittorff, American MLB pitcher and broadcaster (KC Royals), dies of oral cancer at 64
- May 25 Terry Jenner, Australian cricket spin bowler (9 Tests, 24 wickets; WA CA, SA CA), dies from a heart attack at 66
- May 27 Margo Dydek, Polish basketball player (b. 1974)
- May 29 William "Bill" Roycroft, Australian equestrian 3 day (Olympic bronze 1976), dies at 96
- May 31 Andy Robustelli, American NFL defensive end (LA Rams, NY Giants), dies at 85
- May 31 Pauline Betz Addie, American tennis player (5 Grand Slam singles titles), dies of complications from Parkinson's disease at 91
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions