Photo: Shonka Dukureh/Instagram; Mike Marsland/WireImage
ElvisdirectorBaz Lurhmannis mourning the loss ofShonka Dukureh.
“From the moment she came into our world, Shonka brought joy, spirit and of course her voice and her music,” he continued. “Whenever she was on set, on stage or even just in the room, everyone always felt uplifted.”
Noting that “Shonka was just starting to find a larger audience for her tremendous talent,” Lurhmann added, “I got to see her uplift whole crowds of people at Coachella and beyond.”
“A favorite word of Shonka’s, in daily use, was ‘blessings,’ and I, along with the entire Elvis cast, crew and musical collaborators, feel truly blessed to have had time with her,” he concluded. “We send all our love and support to Shonka’s children and family at this time.”
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Earlier this week, Dukurehwas found dead in a bedroomof the Kothe Way apartment in Nashville that she shared with her two young children, according to a news release from police. One of the kids found her unresponsive and ran to the apartment of a neighbor, who called 911 at 9:27 a.m.
“My deepest condolences to the family of Shonka Dukureh. Shonka graduated from Fisk and called Nashville home for many years,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said in a statement viaFox 17. “Her powerful voice and artistry will live on through her music, and we honor her memory on this sad day.”
A celebrated gospel singer in the Nashville area, Dukureh’s career as an actress was just beginning. Though she had a passion for the arts, her first love was being a teacher, local Nashville news outletWPLNreported.
“I taught second grade for a little while over at Buena Vista Elementary in Metro Schools, and then did a lot of work with inner city youth doing after-school programing, summer programing — those programs that we need during the break so that kids can have a positive place to be,” Dukureh previously told the outlet.
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In addition to appearing in Luhrmann’s directed film, Dukureh appeared onstage withDoja Catat Coachella this year. Doja, 26, and Dukureh collaborated on the song “Vegas” from theElvissoundtrack.
Sharing a photo of herself and Dukureh via her Instagram Story on Friday,Doja also honored the late star, writing, “Rest In Peace Shonka — an incredible talent taken from us too soon.”
source: people.com
