Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Deaths in May 2015

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The following is a list of notable deaths in May 2015.

Contents

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.

    • 1

  • Stephen Milburn Anderson, 67, American film director, writer and producer, throat cancer.
  • Jamie Bishop, 44, Welsh cricket player (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.
  • Blanche Cobb, 114, American supercentenarian.
  • David Day, 63, Australian radio broadcaster (5KA, Triple M).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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, 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.
  • Philip S. Goodman, 89, American director, screenwriter and producer (We Shall Return, Profiles in Courage).
  • Konstantyn K. 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.
  • Rex Percy, 81, New Zealand rugby league player (Auckland, Balmain, national team).
  • Maya Plisetskaya, 89, Russian ballet dancer, heart attack.
  • Ruth Rendell, 85, English crime novelist (Inspector Wexford), stroke.
  • Frank Snow, 74, American politician, lung cancer.
  • 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).
  • Margaret Garwood, 88, American opera composer, acute heart failure.
  • Alan Hall, 62, British cell biologist.
  • Danny Jones, 29, Welsh international rugby league player, 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.
  • Elizabeth Raybould, 89, British nurse and nursing educator.
  • Warren Smith, 99, American professional golfer.
  • Su Wenmao, 86, Chinese crosstalk actor.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Andrew Lewis, 44, Guyanese boxer, traffic collision.
  • Joshua Ozersky, 47, American food writer.
  • James Ritter, 84, American politician.
  • Wes Schuck, 40, American film and music producer, colon cancer.
  • Matti Viljanen, 77, Finnish politician, MP (1979–1991).
  • William Wilson, 93, British businessman (Aston Martin).
  • 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.
  • Gerard Davison, 47, Northern Irish Provisional IRA commander, shot.
  • Craig Gruber, 63, American rock musician (Rainbow, Bible Black, Raven Lord), 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.
  • Bruce G. Lindsay, 68, American statistician, cancer.
  • Des O'Hagan, 81, Northern Irish politician (Workers' Party of Ireland).

    • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.⋅
  • Michael Barratt Brown, 97, British economist and political activist.
  • Joey Brush, 59, American politician, member of the Georgia State Senate (1996–2004), traffic collision.
  • 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.
  • Sir Maurice Flanagan, 86, British businessman (Emirates).
  • Rigby Graham, 84, British painter.
  • 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).

    • 8

  • Zeki Alasya, 72, Turkish actor and director, liver disease.
  • Sir Edward Burgess, 87, British army general, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1984–1987).
  • 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.
  • W. Winfred Moore, 95, American pastor.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • Lo Wing-lok, 60, Hong Kong politician, member of the Legislative Council for Medical (2000–2004), lung cancer.
  • Michael MacKellar, 76, Australian politician, MP for Warringah (1969–1994).
  • Odo Marquard, 87, German philosopher.
  • Đorđe Pavlić, 76, Serbian Yugoslav footballer.
  • Ragne Tangen, 88, Norwegian children's television presenter. (death announced on this date)
  • Elizabeth Wilson, 94, American actress (The Birds, The Graduate, 9 to 5), Tony Award winner (1972).
  • Christopher Wood, 79, English novelist and screenwriter (Moonraker, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, The Spy Who Loved Me).

    • 10

  • Chukwuma Azikiwe, 75, Nigerian politician.
  • Ray Baillie, 80, Canadian football player (Montreal Alouettes), fall.
  • Ninad Bedekar, 65, Indian historian and writer.
  • Jack Body, 70, New Zealand composer.
  • Chris Burden, 69, American artist, melanoma.
  • William T. Cooper, 81, Australian bird illustrator.
  • Mario Da Vinci, 73, Italian Canzone Napoletana singer and actor.
  • Jerry Dior, 82, American graphic designer, creator of the Major League Baseball logo, colorectal cancer.
  • Juan Emery, 82, Spanish footballer.
  • Luiz Henrique da Silveira, 75, Brazilian politician, Senator (since 2011), Governor of Santa Catarina (2003–2006, 2007–2010), Minister of Science and Technology (1987–1988), heart attack.
  • Kim Kyok-sik, 76, North Korean military officer, Defence Minister (2012–2013), acute respiratory failure.
  • Donald Neff, 84, American journalist and author, coronary heart disease and diabetes.
  • James F. Rinehart, 64, American academic.
  • Mario Rodríguez, 77, Argentine footballer (Chacarita Juniors, Independiente).
  • Jindřich Roudný, 91, Czech Olympic steeplechase athlete (1952).
  • Rachel Rosenthal, 88, French-born American performance artist, heart failure.
  • Victor Salvi, 95, American-born Italian harpist and harp maker.
  • Barbara Turnbull, 50, Canadian journalist and disability campaigner.
  • Davey Whitney, 85, American Hall of Fame basketball coach (Alcorn State).

    • 11

  • Maggie Black, 85, American ballet instructor, heart failure.
  • Alan Borovoy, 83, Canadian human rights activist and lawyer.
  • Donna Jean Christianson, 83, American politician, cancer.
  • Stan Cornyn, 81, American record label executive.
  • Pierre Daboval, 96, French artist.
  • Peter Füri, 77, Swiss footballer (Concordia Basel, F.C. Basel), heart failure.
  • Jef Geeraerts, 85, Belgian author, heart attack.
  • Kay Heim, 97, Canadian baseball player (Kenosha Comets).
  • John Hewie, 87, Scottish footballer (Charlton Athletic).
  • Olavi Lanu, 89, Finnish sculptor.
  • Bob Light, 88, American college basketball coach (Appalachian State).
  • Frank Matich, 80, Australian racing car driver.
  • Leonardo Neher, 92, American diplomat.
  • Glen Orbik, 51, American artist.
  • Mohammad-Ali Sepanlou, 75, Iranian poet.
  • Isobel Varley, 77, British tattooed woman, world's most tattooed senior, Alzheimer's disease.
  • Derek Walker, 85, British architect.
  • Sir John Watts, 93, Grenadian politician, President of the Senate (1988–1990, 1995–2004).
  • Richard W. Winder, 91, American LDS church elder.

    • 12

  • Cecil Jones Attuquayefio, 70, Ghanaian football player and coach, throat cancer.
  • Tony Ayala, Jr., 52, American light middleweight boxer.
  • Suchitra Bhattacharya, 65, Indian novelist, left ventricular failure.
  • Mervyn Burtch, 86, Welsh composer.
  • John Colenback, 79, American actor (As the World Turns).
  • John Dewes, 88, English cricketer (Middlesex, national team).
  • Sir Peter Fry, 83, British politician, MP for Wellingborough (1969–1997).
  • Peter Gay, 91, German-born American historian.
  • Bill Guthridge, 77, American college basketball coach (University of North Carolina).
  • Rachel Jacobs, 39, American entrepreneur, injuries sustained in a train derailment.
  • Bobby Jameson, 70, American pop singer and songwriter.
  • Syd Lieberman, 71, American storyteller.
  • William MacDonald, 90, English-born Australian serial killer.
  • Evany José Metzker, 67, Brazilian journalist.
  • Saulat Mirza, 43–45, Pakistani convicted murderer and political activist, execution by hanging.
  • Ruth Mompati, 89, South African politician (1956 Women's March).
  • Robin Page, 82, British artist.
  • John Slater, 63, Canadian politician, MLA for Boundary-Similkameen (2009–2013).
  • Neranjan Wickremasinghe, 53, Sri Lankan politician.
  • Anthony C. Yu, 76, American translator (Journey to the West) and literature scholar, heart failure.
  • William Zinsser, 92, American writer.

    • 13

  • Earl Averill, Jr., 83, American baseball player (Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs).
  • Eric Bakie, 87, Scottish footballer (Dunfermline Athletic, Aberdeen).
  • Kathryn I. Bowers, 72, American politician, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives (1995–2005) and Senate (2005–2007).
  • Derek Davis, 67, Irish broadcaster (Live at 3).
  • Gill Dennis, 74, American screenwriter (Walk the Line, Return to Oz).
  • Robert Drasnin, 87, American composer and clarinet player, complications from a fall.
  • Lucy Fabery, 84, Puerto Rican jazz singer.
  • Romolo Ferri, 86, Italian motorcycle racer.
  • Joseph Fidel, 91, American politician.
  • Ed Fouhy, 80, American journalist and television news executive (ABC, CBS, NBC), complications from cancer.
  • George W. Haley, 89, American politician and diplomat.
  • Bert Hitchen, 76, English railway preservationist.
  • Anna Levinson, 76, German zoologist.
  • Nina Otkalenko, 86, Russian athlete.
  • Bob Randall, c. 81, Australian Indigenous musician and author.
  • David Sackett, 80, Canadian physician.
  • Gainan Saidkhuzhin, 77, Russian Soviet Olympic cyclist (1960, 1964), heart attack.
  • Stanley Sproul, 95, American politician, Mayor of Augusta, Maine (1971–1974), member of the Maine House of Representatives (1973–1974).

    • 14

  • James H. Andreasen, 83, American judge.
  • Geraldo Majela de Castro, 84, Brazilian Roman Catholic prelate, Coadjutor Bishop (1982–1988) and Archbishop of Montes Claros (1988–2007).
  • B.B. King, 89, American Hall of Fame blues guitarist, singer and songwriter ("The Thrill Is Gone"), complications from Alzheimer's disease.
  • Thomas Lothian, 86, American politician and academic.
  • Micheál O'Brien, 91, Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler (Meath).
  • Stanton J. Peale, 78, American astrophysicist.
  • Mariana Pfaelzer, 89, American federal judge, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California (1978–1997).
  • Jean Pliya, 83, Beninese playwright and short story writer.
  • Franz Wright, 62, American poet.
  • Zdzisław Żygulski, Jr., 93, Polish art historian.

    • 15

  • Ortheia Barnes, 70, American R&B and jazz singer, heart failure.
  • Elisabeth Bing, 100, German physical therapist, author and proponent of natural childbirth.
  • Jackie Brookner, 69, American artist, cancer.
  • Michael Campus, 80, American director, producer, and screenwriter (The Mack).
  • Samih Darwazah, 85, Jordanian executive (Hikma Pharmaceuticals).
  • Alfred DelBello, 80, American politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York (1983–1985), Westchester County Executive (1974–1982), Mayor of Yonkers, New York (1970–1974).
  • Tommy Dunne, 83, Irish international footballer.
  • Corey Hill, 36, American mixed martial artist (UFC), collapsed lung and heart attack.
  • Bob Hopkins, 80, American basketball player (Syracuse Nationals) and coach (Seattle SuperSonics), heart and kidney failure.
  • John Jarvis-Smith, 93, British World War II naval officer and shipbroker.
  • Jacob Jensen, 89, Danish industrial designer.
  • Matulidi Jusoh, 57, Malaysian politician, MP for Dungun (2008–2013), diabetes.
  • André Jean René Lacrampe, 73, French Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Ajaccio (1995–2003) and Archbishop of Besançon (2003–2013).
  • Claude Lajoie, 87, Canadian politician.
  • John Lo Schiavo, 90, American Jesuit and educator, President of University of San Francisco (1977–1991).
  • Flora MacNeil, 86, Scottish Gaelic singer.
  • Carlos Maggi, 92, Uruguayan writer (Generación del 45).
  • Valentina Maureira, 14, Chilean euthanasia advocate, cystic fibrosis.
  • Didi Petet, 58, Indonesian actor.
  • John Stephenson, 91, American voice actor (The Flintstones, Dragnet, Jonny Quest), Alzheimer's disease.
  • James Takemori, 89, American judo coach.
  • Donald Wrye, 77, American film director (Ice Castles).
  • Garo Yepremian, 70, Cypriot-born American football player (Miami Dolphins), brain cancer.
  • Renzo Zorzi, 68, Italian racing driver.

    • 16

  • Jackie Basehart, 63, American-born Italian actor (The Inglorious Bastards).
  • Prashant Bhargava, 42, American filmmaker, cardiac arrest.
  • Nelson Doi, 93, American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii (1974–1978).
  • Ernesto Estrada, 65, Filipino basketball player, heart attack.
  • Johannes Exner, 89, Danish architect.
  • Elias Gleizer, 81, Brazilian actor, circulatory failure.
  • Charlotte Klamroth, 111, German supercentenarian, nation's oldest person.
  • Shikha Joshi, 40, Indian actress (B.A. Pass).
  • Adam Kilgarriff, 55, English linguist.
  • Moshe Levinger, 80, Israeli Orthodox rabbi.
  • Dean Potter, 43, American rock climber, BASE-jumping accident.
  • Adrian Robinson, 25, American football player (Pittsburgh Steelers, Temple Owls), suicide by hanging.
  • Abu Sayyaf, Tunisian senior ISIS commander, head of oil operations, shot.
  • Peter Tallberg, 77, Finnish Olympic sailor (1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1980) and IOC member.
  • Syd Tate, 90, Australian VFL football player (Geelong).
  • John Templeton, Jr., 75, American physician and philanthropist, brain cancer.
  • Raphael Tenthani, 43, Malawian journalist, traffic collision.
  • Dominik Tóth, 89, Slovak Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Bratislava (1990–2004).
  • Yeung Kwong, 89, Hong Kong pro-communist activist.
  • Ahmed Zanna, 60, Nigerian politician, Senator for Borno Central (since 2011).

    • 17

  • Claude Carliez, 90, French fencer and stunt director (Moonraker, A View to a Kill).
  • Chinx, 31, American rapper, shot.
  • Óscar Collazos, 72, Colombian writer.
  • Sheshrao Deshmukh, 85, Indian politician.
  • Margaret Dunning, 104, American philanthropist, fall.
  • Rex Garner, 94, British actor and theatre director.
  • Leo Honkala, 82, Finnish wrestler, Olympic bronze medalist (1952).
  • Keiji Matsumoto, 65, Japanese racing driver.
  • Nancy Masterton, 84, American politician, member of the Maine House of Representatives.
  • Michael Alfred Peszke, 83, Polish-born American psychiatrist and historian.
  • S. W. Schmitthenner, 87, American missionary, President of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (1969–1981).
  • Gerald Steadman Smith, 85, Canadian artist.
  • Don Smoothey, 96, British actor and comedian.
  • Tranquility Bass, 47, American hip-hop musician.

    • 18

  • Frank Pierpoint Appleby, 101, Canadian politician.
  • Norm Armstrong, 89, Australian football player.
  • Halldór Ásgrímsson, 67, Icelandic politician, Prime Minister (2004–2006), heart attack.
  • Tommy Bing, 83, English footballer (Margate).
  • Dewi Bridges, 81, Welsh Anglican prelate, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon (1988–1998).
  • Helen Davis, 88, American politician, member of the Florida House of Representatives and Senate.
  • Raymond Gosling, 88, British scientist.
  • Hasanuzzaman Khan, 88, Bangladeshi journalist.
  • Steiner Arvid Kvalø, 92, Norwegian politician.
  • Al Matsalla, 89, Canadian politician.
  • Dick Mountjoy, 83, American politician, Mayor of Monrovia, California (1968–1976), member of the California State Assembly (1978–1995) and Senate (1995–2000), heart attack.
  • T. J. Moran, 84, American restaurateur and philanthropist.
  • Eli M. Pearce, 86, American chemist.
  • Harald Seeger, 93, German football player (1. FC Union Berlin) and manager.
  • Jean-François Théodore, 68, French executive (Euronext).
  • Elbert West, 47, American country music singer-songwriter ("Sticks and Stones").

    • 19

  • Ahmad Alasgarov, 79, Azerbaijani football player and manager.
  • Jack Aspinwall, 82, British politician, MP (1979–1997), cancer.
  • Joseph J. Barnicke, 92, Canadian real estate magnate.
  • Joe Carr, 83, Scottish footballer (St Johnstone).
  • Sir Thomas Gault, 76, New Zealand jurist.
  • Edmond J. Gong, 84, American politician, member of the Florida House of Representatives (1963–1966) and Senate (1967–1971).
  • Gerald Götting, 91, German politician, President of the East German People's Chamber (1969–1976).
  • Fahd Jaradat, 84–85, Jordanian politician, Finance Minister (1970).
  • Bruce Lundvall, 79, American record executive (Blue Note Records), complications of Parkinson's disease.
  • Ted McWhinney, 91, Australian-born Canadian politician and academic.
  • Evgeny Menshov, 68, Russian actor and presenter.
  • Burhan Muhammad, 57, Indonesian diplomat, Ambassador to Pakistan (since 2012), burns from helicopter crash.
  • Dale D. Myers, 93, American aerospace engineer, Deputy Administrator of NASA (1986–1989).
  • S. V. Raju, 81, Indian politician.
  • Happy Rockefeller, 88, American socialite and philanthropist, Second Lady of the United States (1974–1977), First Lady of New York (1963–1973).
  • State of Bengal, 50, Bangladeshi-born British DJ and music producer.
  • Roger J. Thomas, 73, American physicist.
  • Robert S. Wistrich, 70, Kazakh-born Israeli-British history professor, heart attack.

    • 20

  • Edward Adeane, 75, British courtier, Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales (1979–1985).
  • Billy Baggett, 85, American football player (Dallas Texans).
  • Bob Belden, 58, American musician, heart attack.
  • Abdelaziz Bennani, 79, Moroccan army general.
  • Sir Brian Cubbon, 87, British civil servant, Permanent Secretary of the Home Office (1979–1988), heart attack.
  • Harald Eriksson, 93, Swedish cross-country skier, Olympic silver medalist (1948).
  • Eileen Gray, 95, British bicycle racer.
  • J. S. Harry, 76, Australian poet.
  • Ebba Hentze, 84, Faroese writer.
  • Kirsten Idebøen, 52, Norwegian financier (SpareBank 1).
  • Sir John Lea, 91, British Royal Navy vice-admiral.
  • Paul Liao, 67, Taiwanese entrepreneur, lung cancer.
  • Chifita Matafwali, 55, Zambian politician, member of the National Assembly for Bangweulu (since 2011).
  • Manfred Müller, 88, German Roman Catholic prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Augsburg (1972–1982) and Bishop of Regensburg (1982–2002).
  • Bob Priestley, 95, American football player (Philadelphia Eagles).
  • Jan Prochyra, 66, Polish actor.
  • Femi Robinson, 74, Nigerian actor (The Village Headmaster).
  • Sudha Shivpuri, 77, Indian actress (Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi), multiple organ failure.
  • Mary Ellen Trainor, 62, American actress (Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, The Goonies), pancreatic cancer.

    • 21

  • Jassem Al-Kharafi, 75, Kuwaiti magnate and politician, Speaker of the National Assembly (1999–2011), heart attack.
  • Zaya Avdysh, 69, Ukrainian football player and manager.
  • David Blake, 90, English cricketer (Hampshire).
  • César Boutteville, 97, Vietnamese-born French chess player.
  • Joaquim Durão, 84, Portuguese chess player.
  • Anne Duguël, 69, Belgian author.
  • Fred Gladding, 78, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros).
  • Ernie Hannigan, 72, Scottish footballer (Preston North End, Coventry City).
  • Louis Johnson, 60, American bassist (The Brothers Johnson, Michael Jackson).
  • Martin Kitcher, 53, British singer-songwriter.
  • James McDuffie, 85, American politician, member of the North Carolina Senate (1975–1987).
  • Juan Molinar Horcasitas, 59, Mexican politician, ALS.
  • Marty Pasetta, 82, American television producer and director, traffic collision.
  • Annarita Sidoti, 44, Italian race walker, world champion (1997), breast cancer.
  • Ellen Tronnier, 87, American baseball player (South Bend Blue Sox).
  • Twinkle, 66, British singer-songwriter ("Terry"), cancer.
  • Alan Woodward, 68, English footballer (Sheffield United).

    • 22

  • Albert Baciocco, 84, American admiral.
  • Marques Haynes, 89, American Hall of Fame basketball player (Harlem Globetrotters).
  • Sir John Horlock, 87, British mechanical engineer and university vice-chancellor (Open University, University of Salford).
  • Kevin Hunt, 66, American football player.
  • Vladimir Katriuk, 93, Romanian-born Canadian alleged war criminal.
  • Alan Koch, 77, American baseball player (Detroit Tigers, Washington Senators).
  • Michel Mortier, 90, French interior designer and architect.
  • John Mosley, 93, American football player (Colorado A&M Aggies) and World War II RAF officer (Tuskegee Airmen).
  • Radomir Naumov, 68, Serbian politician, Minister of Energy and Mining (2004–2007), Minister of Religion (2007–2008).
  • Aminah Robinson, 75, American artist.
  • Jean-Luc Sassus, 52, French football player, heart attack.
  • Byron Sherwin, 69, American rabbi and theology scholar.
  • Terry Sue-Patt, 50, British actor (Grange Hill). (body discovered on this date)
  • Tiffany Two, 27, American cat, world's oldest.
  • Michael Osborne Waddell, 92, British World War II army officer.

    • 23

  • Hugh Ambrose, 48, American historian and author (The Pacific), cancer.
  • Marcus Belgrave, 78, American jazz trumpeter, heart failure.
  • Leo Berman, 79, American businessman and politician, member of the Texas House of Representatives (1999–2013), lymphoma.
  • Hugh Boyle, 79, Irish golfer.
  • Moyra Caldecott, 87, South African-born British writer.
  • John Carter, 87, American actor (Barnaby Jones, Scarface, Law & Order), pneumonia.
  • Peter Corbett, 74, South African cricketer.
  • Trojan Darveniza, 93, Australian football player.
  • Zedi Feruzi, Burundian politician, shot.
  • Boody Gilbertson, 93, American basketball player (Sheboygan Red Skins)
  • Andy Hess, 91, American politician.
  • Anne Meara, 85, American comedian (Stiller and Meara) and actress (Archie Bunker's Place, The King of Queens, Like Mike).
  • Aleksey Mozgovoy, 40, Ukrainian pro-Russian separatist.
  • Alicia Nash, 82, Salvadorian-born American socialite and mental health care advocate, traffic collision.
  • John Forbes Nash, Jr., 86, American mathematician, laureate of the Nobel Prize in Economics (1994), subject of A Beautiful Mind, traffic collision.
  • Carl Nesjar, 94, Norwegian painter and sculptor.
  • Asbjørn Øksendal, 92, Norwegian writer.
  • Andres Ortiz, 28, Puerto Rican basketball player, traffic collision.
  • Ali Raymi, 41, Yemeni boxer, air strike.
  • Carole Seymour-Jones, 72, Welsh biographer.
  • Joseph Velikonja, 92, Slovene-born American geographer.
  • Carlos Irizarry Yunqué, 93, Puerto Rican judge, justice of the Supreme Court (1973–1986).

    • 24

  • Morris Beckman, 94, English writer and anti-fascist activist (43 Group).
  • Dean Carroll, 52, English rugby league footballer.
  • Krushna Ghoda, 61, Indian politician, MLA for Palghar (since 2014), heart attack.
  • Cristian Gómez, 27, Argentine footballer (Club Atlético Paraná), heart attack.
  • Vladimír Hagara, 71, Slovak footballer (FC Spartak Trnava).
  • John H. Kerr, III, 79, American politician.
  • Sir Kenneth Jacobs, 97, Australian judge.
  • Krzysztof Kąkolewski, 85, Polish writer.
  • Tanith Lee, 67, British science fiction, horror and fantasy writer (Blake's 7).
  • Daniel Meltzer, 63, American lawyer, legal adviser to Barack Obama, cancer.
  • Guido Plante, 78, Canadian-born Honduran Roman Catholic prelate, Coadjutor Bishop (2004–2005) and Bishop of Choluteca (2005–2012).
  • Pedro Roque, 47, Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler, world champion (1987), respiratory failure.
  • Michael W. Ryan, 66, American convicted murderer.
  • Bharat Raj Upreti, 63, Nepali judge, justice of the Supreme Court (2009–2013), suicide by hanging.
  • Winged Love, 23, Irish Thoroughbred racehorse, colic.

    • 25

  • Garland Bayliss, 90, American historian.
  • George Braden, 65, Canadian politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories (1979–1983), gastric cancer.
  • Dien Cornelissen, 91, Dutch politician, member of the Senate (1969–1971) and House of Representatives (1971–1972, 1973–1986).
  • Robert Lebel, 90, Canadian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Valleyfield (1976–2000).
  • Mary Ellen Mark, 75, American photographer, myelodysplastic syndrome.
  • Moc Morgan, 86, Welsh fly fisherman and naturalist.
  • John M. Murphy, 88, American politician, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 16th (1963–1973) and 17th (1973–1981) districts.
  • Bill O'Herlihy, 76, Irish sports broadcaster (RTÉ Sport).
  • Wallace Sampson, 85, American critic of alternative medicine.
  • John Stubbs, 77, Australian political journalist.
  • Zhanna Yorkina, 76, Russian Soviet cosmonaut.

    • 26

  • Vicente Aranda, 88, Spanish film director (Amantes).
  • Walter Byers, 93, American college athletics executive (NCAA), urinary tract infection.
  • Claudio Caligari, 67, Italian screenwriter and director (Toxic Love, The Scent of the Night).
  • Harold F. Clayton, 61, American sculptor, lung cancer.
  • William Davidson, 95, English cricketer (Sussex).
  • Gottfried Diener, 88, Swiss bobsledder, Olympic champion (1956).
  • Leo Drey, 98, American timber magnate.
  • Rocky Frisco, 77, American pianist (JJ Cale Band).
  • Thorbjørn Gjølstad, 72, Norwegian jurist and civil servant.
  • Franklin P. Hall, 76, American politician, member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1976–2009).
  • Bob Hornery, 83, Australian actor (Neighbours, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, The Importance of Being Earnest).
  • Les Johnson, 90, Australian politician, MP for Hughes (1955–1966, 1969–1983).
  • Sverre Johan Juvik, 93, Norwegian politician.
  • Robert Kraft, 87, American astronomer.
  • João Lucas, 35, Portuguese footballer (Académica).
  • Ubirajara Ribeiro Martins, 82, Brazilian entomologist.
  • Edward Moylan, 91, American tennis player.
  • John Pinder, 70, New Zealand-born Australian comedy producer.
  • Cyril Roger, 93, English speedway rider.
  • Art Thieme, 73, American folk musician.
  • Aristidis Vlassis, 68, Greek painter.
  • Dayton Waller, 90, American politician, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for Shreveport (1968–1972).

    • 27

  • Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki, c. 71, Somali Islamist and Al-Shabaab leader, military leader of the Islamic Courts Union and Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya.
  • Erik Carlsson, 86, Swedish rally driver.
  • Nils Christie, 87, Norwegian criminologist.
  • Cotton Coulson, 63, American filmmaker and photographer (National Geographic).
  • Peter Celestine Elampassery, 76, Indian Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Jammu-Srinagar (1998–2014).
  • Vittorio Paolo Fiorito, 74, Italian Hall of Fame basketball referee.
  • Bill Foster, 79, American college basketball coach (Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, Virginia Tech Hokies), Parkinson's disease.
  • S. Parker Gilbert, 81, American financier, President of Morgan Stanley (1983–1990).
  • Irvine B. Hill, 87, American politician, Mayor of Norfolk, Virginia (1974–1976).
  • Sir Gordon Hobday, 99, British scientist and industrialist.
  • Andy King, 58, English footballer (Everton), heart attack.
  • Karsten Lund, 71, Danish footballer (Vejle Boldklub).
  • Michael Martin, 83, American philosopher.
  • John Miller, 81, American football player (Washington Redskins).
  • William Newman, 80, American actor (Mrs. Doubtfire, The Tick), vascular dementia.
  • Liam Ryan, 79, Irish theologian and hurler (Limerick GAA).
  • John Siegal, 97, American football player (Chicago Bears).
  • Elisabeth Wiedemann, 89, German actress.
  • Zhang Jieqing, 102, Chinese politician and writer.

    • 28

  • John Buckner, 67, American politician, member of the Colorado House of Representatives (since 2013), sarcoidosis.
  • Jonas Čepulis, 75, Lithuanian heavyweight boxer, Olympic silver medalist (1968).
  • Masayuki Imai, 54, Japanese actor, writer and director, colon cancer.
  • Esther Ghan Firestone, 90, Canadian cantor.
  • Steven Gerber, 66, American composer.
  • Johnny Keating, 87, British musician ("Theme from Z-Cars").
  • Skeeter Kell, 85, American baseball player (Philadelphia Athletics).
  • Ray Kennedy, 58, American jazz pianist, multiple sclerosis.
  • Gyles Longley, 96, British World War II army officer.
  • Robert S. Morse, 90, American prelate, Archbishop of the Anglican Province of Christ the King.
  • Reynaldo Rey, 75, American actor and comedian (227, Friday, White Men Can't Jump), stroke.
  • Claire Kelly Schultz, 90, American information scientist.
  • Michel Ximenes, 76, French politician.

    • 29

  • Arthur Bourns, 95, American chemist, President of McMaster University (1972–1980).
  • Henry Carr, 73, American track and field athlete, Olympic champion (1964), cancer.
  • Doris Hart, 89, American Hall of Fame tennis player.
  • Willie Horgan, 71, Irish hurling referee.
  • Tom Jones, 72, American racing driver.
  • Chris Kohlhase, 47, New Zealand softball player (national team) and coach (Samoa national team).
  • Natalya Lagoda, 42, Ukrainian-born Russian singer and model (Playboy), bilateral pneumonia.
  • Rashid Massumi, 89, Iranian-born American cardiologist.
  • Wim van Norden, 97, Dutch journalist, director of Het Parool (1945–1979).
  • Betsy Palmer, 88, American actress (I've Got a Secret, Mister Roberts, Friday the 13th).
  • Bruno Pesaola, 89, Argentine-born Italian footballer.

    • 30

  • Jim Bailey, 77, American singer, actor and impressionist (Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand).
  • Beau Biden, 46, American politician, Attorney General of Delaware (2007–2015), brain cancer.
  • Joël Champetier, 57, Canadian author.
  • Jake D'Arcy, 69, British actor (Still Game, Gregory's Girl, Outnumbered).
  • John Drinkall, 93, British diplomat, Ambassador to Afghanistan (1972–1976), High Commissioner to Jamaica (1976–1981).
  • Ingeborg Mueller Fernlund, 80, Swedish publisher.
  • Hugh Griffiths, Baron Griffiths, 91, British jurist and law lord.
  • Julie Harris, 94, British costume designer (A Hard Day's Night, Darling, Live and Let Die), Oscar winner (1966).
  • John L. Lumley, 84, American professor of aerospace engineering, brain cancer.
  • Tony McNamara, 85, English footballer (Everton, Liverpool).
  • Lennie Merullo, 98, American baseball player (Chicago Cubs).
  • Cornell Moss, 55, Bahamian Anglican prelate, Archbishop of Guyana (since 2009), heart failure.
  • L. Tom Perry, 92, American apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, thyroid cancer.
  • Michael Collins Piper, 54, American talk radio host and conspiracy theorist.
  • Azmat Rana, 63, Pakistani cricketer, cardiac arrest.
  • Somalatha Subasinghe, 78, Sri Lankan actress and theater director.
  • Vic Travis, 63, American baseball umpire.
  • Alvin P. Wegeman, 88, American Nordic combined skier.

    • 31

  • Iain Campbell, 87, English cricketer and headmaster.
  • Nico Castel, 83, Portuguese-born American tenor.
  • Will Holt, 86, American songwriter ("Lemon Tree") and playwright (Over Here!), Alzheimer's disease.
  • Jonathan Howes, 78, American politician, Secretary of the NCDENR (1992–1997), Mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina (1987–1991), heart disease.
  • Françoise-Hélène Jourda, 59, French architect.
  • Hiroshi Koizumi, 88, Japanese actor (Mothra, Atragon), pneumonia.
  • François Mahé, 84, French professional cyclist.
  • Pat Petersen, 55, American marathon runner, pancreatic cancer.
  • Christina Reid, 73, Northern Irish playwright.
  • Slim Richey, 77, American guitarist, lymphoma.
  • Mario Saliwa, 31, South African first-class cricketer.
  • Gladys Taylor, 97, Canadian writer and newspaper publisher.
  • Karl Wlaschek, 97, Austrian executive, founder of Billa.

    • References

    Deaths in May 2015 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA