- May 1 Ivan Osim, Bosnian soccer midfielder (19 caps Yugoslavia; FK Željezničar, RC Strasbourg, CS Sedan) and manager (Yugoslavia, Sturm Graz, Japan), dies at 80
- May 2 Yuri Vasenin, Russian soccer midfielder (9 caps USSR; FC Zorya Voroshylovhrad), dies at 73
- May 3 Tony Brooks, English auto racer (F1 World C'ship third 1958, runner-up 1959; 6 x F1 wins), dies at 90
- May 4 Gerhard Mans, Namibian rugby union utility back (27 Tests; Orange Free State RFU, South West Africa RFU), dies at 60
- May 4 Harm Ottenbros, Dutch bicycle racer (World C'ships gold men's road race 1969), dies at 78
- May 5 Leo Wilden, German soccer defender (15 caps West Germany; 1. FC Köln, Bayer Leverkusen), dies at 85
- May 7 Yuri Averbach, Russian chess player (first centenarian FIDE Grandmaster), dies at 100
- May 10 Bob Lanier, American Basketball HOF center (8 x NBA All-Star; NBA All-Star Game MVP 1974; Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks), dies at 73
- May 10 Glyn Shaw, Welsh rugby union prop (12 caps; Neath RFC), and rugby league prop (7 caps Wales, 1 GB; Widnes RLFC, Wigan RLFC), dies at 71
- May 10 Mike Davis, English rugby union lock (16 caps; Sherborne RFC) and coach (England 20 Tests 1979-83), dies at 80
- May 11 Henk Groot, Dutch soccer attacking midfielder/forward (39 caps; Ajax, Feyenoord), dies at 84
- May 12 Gino Cappelletti, American football running back (AFL All-Star 1961, 63-66; AFL MVP 1964; Boston Patriots), dies at 88
Andrew Symonds (1975-2022)
May 14 Australian cricket all-rounder (26 Tests, 2 x 100, 10 x 50, HS 162no, 24 wickets; Queensland CA, Kent CCC, Deccan Chargers), dies in a single-car crash at 46
- May 14 David West, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1988-98 (Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, and 3 other teams), dies of brain cancer at 57
- May 15 Stevan Ostojić, Serbian soccer striker (2 caps Yugoslavia; Red Star Belgrade) and manager (RS Belgrade), dies at 80
- May 17 Larry Lacewell, American college football coach (Arkansas State Uni 1979-89) and administrator (AD Arkansas State; Dallas Cowboys Dir college & pro scouting 1992-2004), dies at 85
- May 17 Rodri, Spanish soccer defender (4 caps; FC Barcelona) and manager (CD Condal), dies at 88
- May 18 Faouzi Mansouri, Algerian soccer defender (13 caps; Montpellier, FC Mulhouse), dies at 66
- May 20 Roger Angell, American literary editor and baseball journalist (The New Yorker), dies of congestive heart failure at 101
- May 21 Marco Cornez, Chilean soccer goalkeeper, (20 caps; FC Deportivo Palestino, Universidad Católica, Everton de Viña del Mar), dies from stomach cancer at 64
- May 22 József Duró, Hungarian soccer midfielder (21 caps; Debreceni VSC, Vasas SC, Budapest Honvéd FC), dies at 55
- May 22 Les Dyl, English rugby league utility back (11 caps Great Britain, 13 England; Leeds RLFC, Bramley RLFC), dies at 69
- May 23 Wendell, Brazilian soccer goalkeeper (7 caps; Botafogo, Fluminense FC, Santa Cruz FC), dies at 74
- May 24 John Thompson, American football executive (GM Seattle Seahawks 1976-82; NFL Executive of the Year 1978), dies at 95
- May 25 Dick Conway, New Zealand rugby union flanker/#8 (10 Tests; Otago RFU, Bay of Plenty RU), dies at 87
- May 29 Lester Piggott, English jockey (11 x British flat racing C'ship Jockey; record 9 x Epsom Derby; 30 x British Classic Race wins), dies at 86
- May 30 Bob Talamini, American football guard (Super Bowl 1968 NY Jets; 3 × First-team All-AFL; 6 × AFL All-Star; Houston Oilers), dies at 83
- May 30 David Holford, West Indian cricket all-rounder (24 Tests, 1 x 100, HS 105no, 51 wickets, BB 5/23; Barbados), dies at 82
- May 31 Jim Parks, English cricket wicketkeeper (46 Tests, 114 dismissals, 2 x 100, 9 x 50, HS 108no; Sussex CCC, Somerset CCC), dies at 90
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