Shonka Dukureh, Blues Singer Who Appeared In ‘Elvis,’ Dies At 43

Shonka Dukureh, a blues singer and actor who recently had a breakout role playing Big Mama Thornton in Elvis, died at the age of 43 in her Nashville apartment on Thursday. Foul play is not suspected in her death according to police, and a cause of death has not been determined at this time.

She was found unresponsive Thursday morning by one of her two children, who called a neighbor who then made a 911 call.

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Dukureh was born September 3, 1977, in Charlotte, North Carolina. She said in an interview with local TV station CW30, “I could sing before I could talk.” She continued her vocal passions with her high school chorus and later in college musical productions at Fisk University.

She also attended Trevecca Nazarene University and graduated with a master’s degree in education. She worked as a teacher and singer for a time but got the huge opportunity to play Big Mama Thornton and appear in other scenes of the huge biopic back in 2020.

She also spoke about working on Elvis and said as someone who personally sang and sometimes worked in the Beale Street music scene in Memphis, that director Baz Lurhman and other creatives behind the film were “very intentional about being detailed and making sure that everything was done right, and I thought I was on Beale Street.”

Dukureh was set to release her first studio album this summer, but was already known in Nashville as a powerful performer. One of her Elvis co-stars and fellow Nashville musician Yola wrote a loving Instagram tribute to her. “We in Nashville knew her as a very humble and shy person who transformed before our eyes into a blistering singing and acting talent,” Yola wrote. “We are heartbroken.”