The following is a list of notable deaths in May 2015.
Entries for each day are listed alphabetically by surname. A typical entry lists information in the following sequence: Name, age, country of citizenship and reason for notability, established cause of death, reference.
May 2015
1 Stephen Milburn Anderson, 67, American film director, writer and producer, throat cancer. Martha W. Bark, 86, American politician.Martha W. (Whitmer) Bark Jamie Bishop, 44, Welsh cricketer (Glamorgan). Pete Brown, 80, American professional golfer. José Canalejas, 90, Spanish actor (Django, The Ugly Ones, The Mercenary). Ray Ceresino, 86, Canadian ice hockey player (Toronto Maple Leafs). Amitabha Chowdhury, 87, Indian journalist. David Day, 63, Australian radio broadcaster (Triple M Adelaide). Petro Didyk, 54, Ukrainian footballer, traffic collision. Geoff Duke, 92, British motorcycle racer, six-time Grand Prix world champion. Harry Geisinger, 81, American politician, member of the Georgia House of Representatives (1969–1974, since 2005), leukemia.State Rep. Harry Geisinger, the state Capitol's top horse-racing proponent, dies Dave Goldberg, 47, American executive (SurveyMonkey, LAUNCH Media), head trauma from treadmill fall. Vafa Guluzade, 74, Azerbaijani diplomat and political scientist. Leonard Haber, 82, American psychologist, politician and radio show host, Mayor of Miami Beach, Florida (1977–1979). John Hansen, 97, American politician. Alexander Kok, 89, South African-born British cellist. Amar Laskri, 73, Algerian film director. Paul Walter Myers, 82, British classical record producer. Francie O'Regan, 82, Irish hurler.The death has occurred of Francie O'Regan Phyllis Rutledge, 83, American politician, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (1968–1972, 1988–1994). María Elena Velasco, 74, Mexican actress, comedian and film producer (La India María), stomach cancer. Bob Wareing, 84, British politician, MP for Liverpool West Derby (1983–2010). Colin Whitaker, 82, English footballer (Shrewsbury Town, Oldham Athletic). Grace Lee Whitney, 85, American actress (Star Trek, Irma la Douce, Some Like It Hot). Beth Whittall, 78, Canadian Olympic swimmer (1956), double Pan American champion (1955).
2 Stuart Archer, 100, British army colonel, recipient of the George Cross (1941). Michael Blake, 69, American author and screenwriter (Dances with Wolves), Oscar winner (1991). Guy Carawan, 87, American folk singer and civil rights activist. José María Castiñeira de Dios, 94, Argentine poet, pneumonia. Sarah Correa, 22, Brazilian swimmer, South American Games champion (2010), hit by car. John M. Daley, 91, American politician.John M. Daley Philip S. Goodman, 89, American director, screenwriter and producer (We Shall Return, Profiles in Courage). Konstantyn Kuzminsky, 75, Russian performance poet. Ma Shui-long, 75, Taiwanese composer. John Mahaffy, 96, Canadian ice hockey player (Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers). Ryan McHenry, 27, Scottish film director and social media personality (Vine), bone cancer. Nick Mead, 93, British World War II Royal Navy officer. Martin Nag, 88, Norwegian writer, stroke. Andrew Noren, 71, American filmmaker (The Lighted Field), lung cancer.Andrew Noren, Avant-Garde Filmmaker, Fades to Black Rex Percy, 81, New Zealand rugby league player (Auckland, Balmain, national team). Maya Plisetskaya, 89, Russian prima ballerina, heart attack. Ruth Rendell, 85, English crime novelist (Inspector Wexford), stroke. Bob Schmidt, 82, American baseball player (San Francisco Giants, Washington Senators, Cincinnati Reds).Robert Benjamin Schmidt Frank Snow, 74, American politician, lung cancer.Francis "Frank" Snow Norman Thaddeus Vane, 86, American screenwriter and film director (Frightmare). Yu Pengnian, 93, Chinese real estate magnate and philanthropist.
3 Abdul Wahid Aresar, 65, Pakistani politician. Revaz Chkheidze, 88, Georgian film director (Father of a Soldier, The Saplings). Thomas A. Constantine, 76, American police superintendent, Administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration (1994–1999). John Elders, 84, English rugby union player (Leicester). Lawrence W. Fagg, 91, American physicist.Lawrence W. Fagg Ned Fairchild, 85, American songwriter ("Twenty Flight Rock"), complications from Alzheimer's disease.Nelda Fairchild Margaret Garwood, 88, American opera composer, acute heart failure. André Gruchet, 82, French Olympic cyclist (1956, 1960). Alan Hall, 62, British cell biologist. Bruce Barrymore Halpenny, 78, English military historian and author. Danny Jones, 29, English rugby league footballer, heart attack. Symphorian Thomas Keeprath, 84, Indian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Jalandhar (1971–2007). Zoran Lalović, 65, Serbian musician. *Lu Ping, 87, Chinese politician and diplomat, cancer. Harry Martin, 95, American judge. Hiroshi Osada, 75, Japanese poet and author.長田弘おさだひろし Elizabeth Raybould, 89, British nurse and nursing educator. Warren Smith, 99, American professional golfer. *Su Wenmao, 86, Chinese xiangsheng actor.相声表演艺术家苏文茂逝世 被誉为"文哏"大师 Per Sundberg, 65, Swedish Olympic fencer. Yūsuke Takita, 84, Japanese actor (Submersion of Japan, Double Suicide, The Long Darkness), cancer.ドラマ「事件記者」俳優・滝田裕介さん死去 84歳 Abdul Basit Usman, 40–41, Filipino fugitive, shot. Tung Jeong, 84, Chinese-born American physicist.
4 Eva Aeppli, 90, Swiss artist. Ann Barr, 85, British writer (The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook). William Bast, 84, American screenwriter and author, Alzheimer's disease. Ellen Albertini Dow, 101, American actress (The Wedding Singer, Patch Adams, Wedding Crashers), pneumonia. Emilio Echeverry, 86, Colombian Olympic fencer.Emilio Echeverri Zhivko Gospodinov, 57, Bulgarian footballer. Jesús Hermida, 77, Spanish journalist and broadcaster, stroke. Marv Hubbard, 68, American football player (Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions), prostate cancer. Claude LaForge, 78, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens).LaForge Claude Andrew Lewis, 44, Guyanese Olympic boxer (1992) and WBA welterweight champion (2001-2002), traffic collision. Joshua Ozersky, 47, American food writer, drowned. James Ritter, 84, American politician. Rich Stotter, 70, American football player (Houston Oilers).Rich Stotter, First UH Consensus All-American Passes Away Matti Viljanen, 77, Finnish politician, MP (1979–1991). William Willson, 93, British businessman (Aston Martin). John J. Wilson, 88, American politician.John Wilson Vicente Joaquim Zico, 88, Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate, coadjutor Archbishop (1980–1990) and Archbishop of Belém do Pará (1990–2004).
5 Jobst Brandt, 80, American author and cyclist. Michael Burns, 54, Irish Gaelic football player (Cork). Jon Castañares, 90, Spanish economist and politician.Fallece Castañares, primer alcalde del PNV de Bilbao en democracia. Gerard Davison, 47, Northern Irish Provisional IRA commander, shot. Craig Gruber, 63, American rock musician (Rainbow, Bible Black), prostate cancer. Oscar Holderer, 95, German-born American engineer, worked on Saturn V project. Hans Jansen, 72, Dutch politician, MEP (since 2014), stroke. Jimmy Jones, 87, English footballer. Ralph Lainson, 88, British parasitologist. Odd Lie, 88, Norwegian Olympic gymnast. Bruce G. Lindsay, 68, American statistician, cancer. Takashi Nomura, 88, Japanese film director (A Colt Is My Passport), pneumonia.野村孝さん死去 裕次郎さん「夜霧のブルース」監督 Des O'Hagan, 81, Northern Irish politician (Workers' Party). Ann Shaw, 93, American social worker.Ann Shaw, African-American civic leader, activist dead at 93 Niisan Takahashi, 89, Japanese screenwriter (Gamera, the Giant Monster), intracerebral hemorrhage.高橋二三氏が死去 脚本家
6 Novera Ahmed, 85, Bangladeshi sculptor. Richard J. Bartlett, 89, American legislator, New York State Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts (1974–1979). William Bronder, 84, American actor (Stand by Me, CHiPs). Errol Brown, 71, Jamaican-born British singer (Hot Chocolate), liver cancer. Jerome Cooper, 68, American jazz drummer, multiple myeloma. Graham Harcourt, 81, British Olympic gymnast. *Nicolas Huỳnh Văn Nghi, 88, Vietnamese Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Phan Thiết (1975–2005). Denise McCluggage, 88, American racing car driver, journalist, author and photographer. Michael O'Brien, 67, British historian of the Southern United States, cancer. Anson D. Shupe, 67, American sociologist. Janko Vranyczany-Dobrinović, 95, Croatian politician and diplomat. Jim Wright, 92, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 12th district (1955–1989), Speaker of the House (1987–1989).
7 Asim Thahit Abdullah al Khalaqi, 47, Saudi Arabian Guantanamo Bay detainee, kidney failure. Michael Barratt Brown, 97, British economist and political activist. Joey Brush, 59, American politician, member of the Georgia State Senate (1996–2004), traffic collision. Víctor de la Lama, 95, Mexican Olympian Frank DiPascali, 58, American financier and fraudster, lung cancer. John Dixon, 86, Australian cartoonist (Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors), stroke. Sir Sam Edwards, 87, Welsh physicist. Arieh Elias, 94, Israeli actor (Kazablan, The Boy Across the Street).Beloved actor Arieh Elias dies at 94 Sir Maurice Flanagan, 86, British businessman (Emirates). Rigby Graham, 84, British painter. Leroy V. Grosshuesch, 95, American colonel.Lee V. Grosshuesch Amalendu Guha, 91, Indian historian. Thomas F. Lamb, 92, American politician, member of the Pennsylvania Senate (1969–1974) and House of Representatives (1959–1966). Gilbert Lewis, 74, American actor (Pee-wee's Playhouse, Don Juan DeMarco, Candyman). Józef Pazdur, 90, Polish Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Wrocław (1984–2000). Jean de Croutte de Saint Martin, 82, French Olympic equestrian.Jean de Croutte de Saint Martin Michel Saykali, 82, Lebanese Olympic fencer.Michel Saykali
8 Zeki Alasya, 72, Turkish actor and director, liver disease.How did Zeki Alasya die? Who was Zeki Alasya? Sir Edward Burgess, 87, British army general, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1984–1987). Joanne Carson, 83, American model.Joanne Carson, Second Wife of Famed ‘Tonight Show’ Host Johnny Carson, Dies at 83 Chuck Dow, 83, American politician, member of the Maine House of Representatives (1971–1980) and Senate (1983–1990). Thomas Herlihy, 58, American politician, State Senator for Connecticut's 8th District (1999–2009). Mwepu Ilunga, 66, Congolese footballer. Menashe Kadishman, 82, Israeli artist, recipient of the Israel Prize (1995). Adriana Maraž, 84, Slovene graphic artist. Bob Nelson, 80, American songwriter.Robert E.L. Nelson Bob Sandberg, 93, Canadian football player (Winnipeg Blue Bombers). Juan Schwanner, 94, Hungarian-Chilean football player and coach. Atanas Semerdzhiev, 90, Bulgarian politician, vice-president (1990–1992). Phil Skoglund, 77, New Zealand lawn bowls player, triples world champion (1988). Myriam Yardeni, 83, Israeli historian. Notable people killed in the 2015 Pakistan Army Mil Mi-17 crash: Leif Holger Larsen, 61, Norwegian diplomat, Ambassador to Pakistan (since 2014). Domingo Lucenario Jr., 54, Filipino diplomat, Ambassador to Pakistan (since 2013).
9 Buddy Corlett, 93, Canadian-born New Zealand softball and basketball player. Russell Dermond, 78, American Olympic sprint canoer (1956). Berry Avant Edenfield, 80, American federal judge and politician, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Georgia (1978–2006), member of the Georgia State Senate (1965–1966), lung cancer. Edward W. Estlow, 95, American football player, journalist and businessman (E. W. Scripps Company). Kenan Evren, 97, Turkish military officer and coup leader, Chief of the General Staff (1978–1983), President (1980–1989). Johnny Gimble, 88, American country music fiddler. Igor Gorynin, 89, Russian metallurgist. Ton Hartsuiker, 81, Dutch pianist and director of music academies. Alexandre Lamfalussy, 86, Hungarian-born Belgian economist.