- May 7 George Sauer, Jr., American football wide receiver (AFL All Star 1996-99; Super Bowl 1969; New York Jets), dies from heart failure at 69
- May 9 Andrew Simpson, British sailor (Olympic gold Star class 2008; World C'ship gold 2010), dies after a yacht capsize at 36
- May 11 Jack Butler, American Pro Football HOF cornerback (First-team All-Pro 1957-59; Pro Bowl 1955–58; Pittsburgh Steelers), dies from complications from staph infection at 85
- May 13 Chuck Muncie, American football running back, dies from a heart attack at 60
- May 13 Vladimir Romanovsky, Soviet sprint canoer, dies at 56
- May 16 Dick Trickle, American auto racer (7 x ARTGO C'ships, ASA AC-Delco Challenge C'ship 1984, 85; NASCAR Rookie of the Year 1989), dies by self inflicted gunshot at 71
- May 17 Ken Venturi, American golfer, broadcaster (US Open 1964), dies from multiple infections at 82
- May 20 Miloslav Kříž, Czech basketball coach (Czech Women's team, German Men's team), dies at 88
- May 24 Antonio Puchades, Spanish soccer midfielder (23 caps; Valencia 256 games), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 87
- May 24 Ron Davies, Welsh soccer forward (29 caps; Norwich City, Southampton, Portsmouth, LA Aztecs), dies at 70
- May 28 Nino Bibbia, Italian sledder (Olympic gold skeleton 1948), dies at 91
- May 30 Elliot del Borgo, American music educator (SUNY/Crane School of Music, 1966-95) and composer (1980 Winter Olympics), dies at 74
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions