Singer and actress Shonka Dukureh has been found dead just a month after her big screen debut. The gospel singer played blues legend Big Mama Thornton alongside Tom Hanks and Austin Butler in director Baz Luhrmann's big budget Elvis film which was released in June.
The 44-year-old was found dead by one of her young children on Thursday morning, according to showbiz website TMZ. According to Nashville police, she was found dead in the bedroom of her Antioch apartment that she shared with her kids in Nashville, Tennessee.
They added that no foul play is suspected in her death, though investigators will be awaiting autopsy reports before determining a cause of death. According to the Star, her child raised the alarm after running to a neighbour's house for help.
Fans and co-stars are taking to social media to pay tribute to the actress and singer, with Nashville Mayor John Cooper mourning her death with a tweet. He shared his condolences to the loved ones of Shonka and penned: "Her powerful voice and artistry will live on through her music, and we honour her memory on this sad day."
One heartbroken fan shared a prayer for Shonka's loved ones on Twitter. They tweeted: "Shonka Dukureh passing away is so heartbreaking. More than just a beautiful voice... she was a mom to 2 babies. Lord, please wrap her babies and loved ones in love and healing."
Shonka's role in the Hollywood blockbuster was meant to be off-screen at first, but she was later asked to portray Big Mama Thornton on camera too. As a blues fanatic, the opportunity was a dream come true for the singer.
She told WPLN: "I knew to really pay tribute to her, I had to tap into my self, my own self-confidence, my own voice. She was very adamant that she only had her voice — no one could sing like her and she sang like no one. So I had to also embrace that as our approach to music."
Shonka's survived by her two young children.
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