Deaths in May 2025
The following is a list of notable deaths that happened in May 2025. Names under each date are noted in the order of the alphabet by their last name, or pseudonym. Deaths of non-humans are also noted here, if worth noting.
Criteria
Every entry is backed by a source. Proper citations are used and no bare URLs so as to prevent link rot. The following are the requirements for adding a name to the list in its order: Name, age, origin, what the person is known for and his or her cause of death – if known – and a source for verification.
May 2025
31
- Robert Anderson, 76, New Zealand cricketer (Otago, Central Districts, national team).[1]
30
- Étienne-Émile Baulieu, 98, French scientist.[2]
- Prentis Hancock, 83, British actor (Space: 1999, Doctor Who).[3]
- Loretta Swit, 87, American actress.[4]
29
- David Trist, 77, New Zealand cricketer (Canterbury) and cricket coach (Eastern Province, national team).[5]
27
26
24
- Malini Fonseka, 78, Sri Lankan actress (Pilot Premnath, Bambaru Avith, Beddegama) and politician, MP (2010–2015).[10]
- Piro Milkani, 85, Albanian film director (The Lady from the City, The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider), People's Artist of Albania.[11]
- Marcel Ophuls, 97, French filmmaker (The Sorrow and the Pity, Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie).[12]
- Teresita Reyes, 75, Chilean actress (Sussi, The Toast, Santos), cancer.[13]
23
- Mukul Dev, 54, Indian actor (Dastak, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Son of Sardaar).[14]
- Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, 91, Algerian film director (Chronicle of the Years of Fire, Sandstorm, The Last Image) and screenwriter.[15]
22
- Alfredo Palacio, 86, Ecuadorian cardiologist and politician, president (2005–2007) and vice president (2003–2005).[16]
20
- Michael Roemer, 97, American film director and screenwriter (Nothing but a Man, The Plot Against Harry, Dying).[17]
- George Wendt, 76, American actor (Cheers, Forever Young, "Bill Swerski's Superfans").[18]
19
- Aurora Clavel, 88, Mexican actress (Tarahumara, Once Upon a Scoundrel, Mariana de la Noche).[19]
- Kathleen Hughes, 96, American actress (It Came from Outer Space, The Glass Web, The Golden Blade).[20]
17
- Gawn Grainger, 87, Scottish actor (Doctor Who) and writer.[21]
- Franco Merli, 68, Italian actor (Arabian Nights, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, Down and Dirty).
- Roger Nichols, 84, American songwriter ("We've Only Just Begun", "Times of Your Life") and composer.[22]
- Zhu Yuanyuan, 51, Chinese actress (Ocean Heaven, Lost in Hong Kong, Sister), cancer.[23]
16
- Meta Velander, 100, Swedish actress (Honeymoon, Dear Alice, Marmalade Revolution).[24]
15
- Kostas Lychnaras, 86, Greek film director (Christ Recrucified, Konstantinou kai Elenis, To kafe tis Charas).[25]
14
- Cornal Hendricks, 37, South African rugby player (Bulls, Boland Cavaliers, national team), heart attack.[26]
13
- José Mujica, 89, Uruguayan politician (president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015), oesophagus cancer.[27]
- Leila Negra, 95, German singer and actress (Münchhausen, The Star of Rio, Salto Mortale).[28]
11
- Robert Benton, 92, American film director (Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart) and screenwriter (Bonnie and Clyde), Oscar winner (1980, 1985).[29]
- John Edwards, 80, American Hall of Fame singer (The Spinners).[30]
- Arjun Menon, 48, Singaporean cricket player (national team) and coach (Chile, Malawi).[31]
10
9
- Fred Graham, 96, New Zealand rugby union player (New Zealand Māori) and artist, AFNZ Icon (since 2018).[34]
8
- Jiří Bartoška, 78, Czech actor (Sekal Has to Die, All My Loved Ones, Angel of the Lord), president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.[35]
- James Foley, 71, American film director (Glengarry Glen Ross, Who's That Girl, Fifty Shades Darker), brain cancer.[36] (death announced on this date)
- Josaia Raisuqe, 30, Fijian rugby union footballer (Stade Français, Nevers, Fiji 7s), traffic collision.[37]
7
- Cleopa Msuya, 94, Tanzanian politician, prime minister (1980–1983, 1994–1995) and first vice president (1990–1995), heart failure.
6
- Bill McCaw, 97, New Zealand rugby player (Southland, national team).[38]
4
- Aleftina Evdokimova, 85, Russian actress (Tender Age, Let the Charms Last Long, Courier).[39]
2
- Ricky Davao, 63, Filipino actor (Ang Padrino, Kung Aagawin Mo ang Lahat sa Akin) and television director (!Oka Tokat).[40] (death announced on this date)
- Jean-François Davy, 79, French film director (Bananes mécaniques, Surprise Sock) and producer.[41]
- Sir Bob Jones, 85, New Zealand property investor and politician.[42] (death announced on this date)
- Alessandro Quasimodo, 82, Italian actor (The Seventh Floor, A Milanese Story), theater director and poet.[43]
1
- Jill Sobule, 66, American singer-songwriter ("I Kissed a Girl", "Supermodel"), house fire.[44]
References
Template:Relist
- ↑ Vale, Robert 'Jumbo' Anderson
- ↑ https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2025/05/30/etienne-emile-baulieu-pere-de-la-pilule-abortive-est-mort-a-l-age-de-98-ans_6609348_3382.html?lmd_medium=al&lmd_campaign=envoye-par-appli&lmd_creation=android&lmd_source=default
- ↑ Prentis Hancock 1942-2025
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20qzlxz1w0o
- ↑ Former Black Caps coach David Trist dies
- ↑ “City Hunter” And “Doctor Stranger” Actor Choi Jung Woo Has Passed Away
- ↑ Умер актер Василий Фунтиков, сыгравший роль Кроша (in Russian)
- ↑ Monna Tandberg er død (in Norwegian)
- ↑ Zemřela herečka Marie Tomášová (in Czech)
- ↑ ‘Queen of Sri Lankan Cinema’, Malini Fonseka passes away
- ↑ Albanian cinematography in mourning, the prominent director Piro Milkani passes away
- ↑ Oscar winning French documentary filmmaker Marcel Ophuls dies at 97
- ↑ Fallece la destacada actriz chilena Teresita Reyes a sus 75 años (in Spanish)
- ↑ Actor Mukul Dev passes away at 54
- ↑ Décès du producteur algérien Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, lauréat de la Palme d'or en 1975 (in French)
- ↑ Falleció el expresidente Alfredo Palacio, médico y exmandatario ecuatoriano, a los 86 años (in Spanish)
- ↑ Michael Roemer, Maker of Acclaimed but Little-Seen Films, Dies at 97
- ↑ George Wendt, Who Played Norm on ‘Cheers,’ Dies at 76
- ↑ Muere la actriz Aurora Clavel a los 88 años (in Spanish)
- ↑ Kathleen Hughes, Iconic Scream Queen of 'It Came from Outer Space,' Dies at 96
- ↑ Actor and writer Gawn Grainger dies aged 87
- ↑ In Memoriam: Roger Nichols (1940-2025)
- ↑ 演员朱媛媛去世，年仅51岁 (in Chinese)
- ↑ Skådespelaren Meta Velander är död – blev 100 år (in Swedish)
- ↑ Πέθανε σε ηλικία 86 ετών ο Κώστας Λυχναράς -Σκηνοθέτης των «Κωνσταντίνου και Ελένης» και «Το καφέ της Χαράς» (in Greek)
- ↑ Shock and disbelief in rugby community after sudden death of Cornal Hendricks
- ↑ https://www.lemonde.fr/disparitions/article/2025/05/13/jose-pepe-mujica-ancien-president-de-l-uruguay-et-grande-voix-de-l-amerique-latine-est-mort_6605847_3382.html?lmd_medium=al&lmd_campaign=envoye-par-appli&lmd_creation=android&lmd_source=default
- ↑ Schwarze Zeitzeugin der NS-Zeit ist tot Archived 2025-05-16 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- ↑ Robert Benton, Oscar-winning director of Kramer vs Kramer, dies aged 92
- ↑ John Edwards, lead singer of the Spinners, dies at 80
- ↑ Former Singapore cricketer and coach Arjun Menon dies in Malawi
- ↑ Australian Test cricketer Bob Cowper dies aged 84
- ↑ Larry Michael Lee
- ↑ Arts Icon Fred Graham Passes Away
- ↑ "Actor and president of Karlovy Vary Film Festival Jiří Bartoška dies at 78". Archived from the original on 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
- ↑ James Foley, Director of ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Sequels, Dies at 71
- ↑ Fiji international Josaia Raisuqe dies aged 30
- ↑ Bill McCaw, who was the oldest living All Black, dies aged 97
- ↑ Умерла народная артистка Алефтина Евдокимова (in Russian)
- ↑ Viva confirms Ricky Davao dead, 63
- ↑ Jean-François Davy, réalisateur et producteur de films pornographiques, est mort à l'âge de 79 ans (in French)
- ↑ High-profile businessman Sir Bob Jones dies
- ↑ E' morto Alessandro Quasimodo (in Italian)
- ↑ Jill Sobule, Singer-Songwriter of Groundbreaking 1995 Song ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ Killed in House Fire