Early years May was born in
Nuxco,
Tecpan de Galeana,
Guerrero, Mexico; her father had immigrated from China. She was the eldest of five siblings and began working at the age of four. She sold souvenirs to tourists and sweets made by her grandmother.
Career Lilia then moved to Acapulco, where she worked in the cabaret
El Zorro, as a dancer and also worked as a waitress and in beauty salons to support her daughters. When she was approximately 17 years old, Lilia worked for television presenter
Raul Velasco as a dancer in the program
Siempre en Domingo. There, she danced with
Olga Breeskin and learned to dance tribal, Hawaiian, and Tahitian dances. She was also pressured by Velasco to wear more revealing outfits, showing her underwear. In 1970, Lilia was hired by Enrique Lombardini, who at that time managed the
Teatro Esperanza Iris. However, she was booed at first for not performing nude. A week later, Lilia performed her first nude, becoming a sensation among the male audience. Lombardini bestowed on her the pseudonym "Lyn May: The Goddess of Love". In 1998, May participated in the
music video of the song
Mr. P. Mosh by
Plastilina Mosh. In 2016, May appeared in a music video of the song
Si tu me quisieras by
Mon Laferte. In 2016, May was featured in
Beauties of the Night by María José Cuevas. As of 2021, May worked as a Tahitian dance instructor at the Plaza Caribe Hotel in
Cancun, Mexico and gave performances on weekends. ==Personal life==