Shonka Dukureh, who made her Hollywood debut last month as soulful blues legend Big Mama Thornton in “Elvis,” died Thursday in Nashville. She was 44 years old.
The Nashville Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the death but did not provide a cause, saying only that no foul play was evident. One of her two young children found her unconscious in her bedroom and ran to alert a neighbor, who called 911 at 9:27 a.m., police said.
“Elvis,” the Elvis Presley biopic starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, was Ms. Dukureh’s first major acting role. Playing Big Mama Thornton, the singer and songwriter who recorded “Hound Dog” in 1952, a year before Elvis Presley, Ms. Dukureh found a role that blended her burgeoning voice with her seemingly emerging acting skills.
His cover of “Hound Dog” particularly captivated the audience. She also intended to release a studio album, titled “The Lady Sings the Blues,” according to her website.
Ms Dukureh, who was from Nashville “via Charlotte, North Carolina”, originally planned to become a teacher and had a master’s degree in education from Trevecca Nazarene University, according to her website. Instead, she pursued the arts, using her powerful voice while touring internationally with Jamie Liddell and the Royal Pharaohs and performing a variety of other featured and background voices.
Ms Dukureh also had a bachelor’s degree in theater from Fisk University, according to her website.
His performance in “Elvis” quickly won over his fans, including his castmates. Olivia DeJonge, who played Priscilla Presley in the film, told Entertainment Weekly that watching Ms. Dukureh “was a spiritual experience”.
“Watching a star basically be born, having something in his kind of release, it was just – it was crazy to watch,” Ms. DeJonge said.
