Shonka Dukureh, who played Big Mama Thornton in this year’s movie about Elvis Presley, has been found dead in a bedroom at her home in Nashville, police said.
Police said there were no signs of foul play. Post-mortem results are pending from the medical examiner.
Dukureh, a 44-year-old Nashville singer, shared the apartment with her two young children, police said.
Nashville gospel singer and 'Elvis' actor Shonka Dukureh dies unexpectedly at 44 https://t.co/iBzM3Sn7TY
— WPLN News – Nashville Public Radio (@WPLN) July 21, 2022
One of the children found her unresponsive and went to the apartment of a neighbour, who called emergency services.
The actor, who also shared the stage at Coachella this year with Doja Cat, had a theatre degree from Fisk University in Nashville and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene with an education degree, WPLN-FM reported.
In an interview with the station last month, Dukureh said she taught year two pupils for a while and then worked with inner city youth through after-school and summer programmes.
She said those students reached out after seeing her in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.
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