Shonka Dukureh, 'Elvis' Famed Actress Dies at 44
Shonka Dukureh, at the age of 44, was found dead in her apartment in Nashville, Tenn. The Metro Nashville Police department, via Twitter on Thursday, confirmed the tragic news.
Shonka Dukureh was found dead in a bedroom in her Nashville home. Shonka, who played the role of Big Mama Thorton in the Elvis biopic, was also a singer, former teacher and actor.
Shonka Dukureh 'Elvis' Famed Actress Dies at 44. SOURCE: Instagram(@inlovewithelvis) The police told the source there were no traces of foul play, and she lives with her two younger kids in the apartment. One of her children found her unresponsive and asked for the neighbor to call 911.
Further, the Metro Nashville Police department's tweet states," No foul play is evident in today's death of actress Shonka Dukureh, 44, who portrayed Big Mama Thorton in this year's Elvis movie. Dukureh, a Fisk Univ graduate, was found dead in the bedroom of her Kothe way."
No foul play was evident in the death of Shonka Dukureh. SOURCE: Twitter(@MNPDNashville) The cause of the actress' passing is not yet discovered and soon be investigated by the medical examiner. Well, Shonka was the first to record Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber's Hound Dog, which was made popular by Elvis Presley.
As per her website, the lady had thoughts and plans to release her first full-length album. She wrote," The project is a tribute to the blues music genre in celebration of those fierce unsung pioneering artist and musicians who paved the way for the rock n' roll music revolution."
Shonka Dukureh played Big Mama Thorton in Baz Luhrman's Elvis. SOURCE: Instagram(@consequence) Not to mention, Shonka recorded with the artist, including Royal Pharaohs, Mike Farris, Bahamas and Jamie Lidell. Australian film creator Luhrmann paid tribute to the late film star acting opposite Austin Butler.
The lady received a degree in theatre from Fisk University and her master's degree from Trevecca Nazarene University. Doja took to her Instagram to send a tribute to the proficient actress on social media, writing, "Rest in Peace Shonka -an incredible talent was taken from us too soon."
Check out the video of Shonka Dukureh's death at 44.
Similarly, the director of Elvis, Baz Luhrmann, posted a sweet snap showing one of him kissing Shonka on the forehead. "A special light went out today, and all out of the Elvis movie family are heartbroken by the loss of Shonka Dukureh."
Dukureh's voice got featured on Elvis' soundtrack in her version of 'Hound Dog.' The Tennessean revealed that she was from Charlotte, N.C, but more to Nashville.
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