Famous people and celebrities who died in May 1979

This page is dedicated to commemorating the celebrities and famous people who passed away in May 1979. This month marked the loss of influential and beloved figures whose contributions spanned various fields and touched many lives. Explore our detailed list to remember and celebrate their enduring legacies and the remarkable impact they had on the world

• May 2 Giulio Natta

  Giulio Natta was an Italian chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963 with Karl Ziegler for groundbreaking work on polymers. He was a distinguished professor at the University of Pavia and Turin, and directed the Industrial Chemistry Research Center at the Polytechnic Institute of Milan.

• May 8 Talcott Parsons

  Influential American sociologist who developed structural functionalism theory and significantly impacted social science research in the mid-20th century. He was a professor at Harvard University and authored numerous groundbreaking works in sociology.

• May 9 Cyrus Eaton

  American businessman known for his investments and philanthropy.

• May 9 Lan Adomian

  Composer dies at 73

• May 10 Louis Paul Boon

  Prominent Flemish novelist and journalist, known for his innovative literary style and social critique. He is considered one of the most significant Dutch-language authors of the 20th century.

• May 10 John Cameron Andrieu Bingham Morton

  Satirist (beachcomber), dies.

• May 11 Lester Flatt

  Influential bluegrass musician and guitarist, co-founder of the Foggy Mountain Boys and Nashville Grass. He was a significant figure in the development of traditional American country and bluegrass music.

• May 11 Lester Raymond Flatt

  Musician (flatt & scruggs – "ballad of jed clampett"), who dies at the age of 64.

• May 11 Joan Chandler

  Dies at 55

• May 13 Nelly Aenders

  Actress (in pyama), passes away at 65

• May 14 Jean Rhys

  Dominican-British novelist known for her novel 'Wide Sargasso Sea'.

• May 16 A. Philip Randolph

  American union leader and activist (b. 1889)

• May 23 S. Selvanayagam

  Sri lankan geographer and academic (b. 1932)

• May 23 Hubert van Doorne

  Auto manufacturer (daf) dies at the age of 79.

• May 24 Ernest Bullock

  English organist, composer, and educator (b. 1890)

• May 24 Jan Arvan

  Actor (red skelton show, zorro)

• May 25 Amédée Gordini

  Italian-born french racing driver and sports car manufacturer (b. 1899)

• May 25 Itzhak Bentov

  Czech-israeli engineer, mystic, and author (b. 1923)

• May 25 John Arthur Spenkelink

  American murderer (born 1949)

• May 26 George Brent

  Actor (baby face. dark victory. 42nd st), dies at the age of 75

• May 29 Mary Pickford

  Canadian-american actress. she was five years old when she first appeared on stage. later, she became a star actress in silent films. pickford won the oscar for the talk-film "coquette", in 1928/1929. she was a talented actress who starred in more than 200 films. she also co-founded united artists, and the motion picture academy.

• May 29 John H. Wood Jr.

  American lawyer and judge (b. 1916)

• May 30 Jack Raine

  Actor (quartet), passes away at 82