Shonka Dukureh’s cause of death has been confirmed following an autopsy.
Dukureh, who recently appeared in the recently releasedElvisbiopic as Big Mama Thornton alongsideAustin Butler, was found dead in the bedroom of her Kothe Way apartment that she shared with her two young children, a news release from the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department said on July 21.
Kane Skennar/Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
One of Dukureh’s children found her unresponsive that morning and ran to a neighbor’s apartment. The neighbor called 911 at 9:27 a.m. local time, according to the release. No foul play was suspected in the immediate aftermath of Dukureh’s death.
“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 viaFox17. “Her powerful voice and artistry will live on through her music, and we honor her memory on this sad day.”
Shonka Dukureh/Instagram
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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.
In June, Dukureh told the outlet that many of her students reached out to her after seeing her inElvis.
“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 programming, summer programming — those programs that we need during the break so that kids can have a positive place to be,” Dukureh said.
“They’re blown away, like, ‘Wow! Miss Shonka! Really?’ " she said, laughing. “I said, ‘I’m still Ms. Shonka, you know!’ "
In addition to appearing in theBaz Luhrmann-directed film, Dukureh appeared onstage withDoja Catat Coachella this year. Doja and Dukureh collaborated on the song “Vegas” for theElvissoundtrack.
source: people.com
