Actor Shonka Dukureh, who recently made his big screen debut as Big Mama Thornton in Baz Luhrmann’s new film Elvis, has died aged 44.
Dukureh was found dead Thursday in a bedroom of her Nashville home, which she shared with her two young sons, the Metro Nashville Police Department said.
One of the children found her unresponsive and went to a neighbor’s apartment, who called 911. Police said there were no signs of foul play. The results of the autopsy are pending from the medical examiner.
Dukureh played blues singer Big Mama Thornton in the Elvis Presley biopic, which opened worldwide in June.
Dukureh’s rendition of the song Hound Dog, which Thornton recorded in 1952, four years before Presley, went viral online after the film’s release.
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The actor and singer, who also shared the stage at Coachella this year with Doja Cat, had a theater degree from Fisk University and an education degree from Trevecca Nazarene, radio station WPLN-FM reported.
In an interview with the station last month, Dukureh said she previously worked as a second-grade teacher and worked with inner-city youth through after-school and summer programs.
She said those students reached out after seeing her in Elvis.