*‘Elvis’ actress, Shonka Dukureh, died unexpectedly at the age of 44. (Credit: Warner Bros.)*

By Jackie Rivers // People // EEW Magazine Online

Gone way too soon.

That’s what fans of a gospel singer known to be a mainstay in Nashville, TN, are saying after she died suddenly at age 44.

According to official police reports obtained by EEW Magazine Online, Shonka Dukureh, who debuted in the movie Elvis just a month ago, was found unresponsive in the bedroom of her Antioch apartment by one of her two children.

The child ran to a neighbor’s house for help, and the neighbor called 911 just before 9:30 am Thursday. While foul play is not suspected, Dukureh’s cause of death is not yet known and is still under investigation pending autopsy results from the Medical Examiner’s Office.

The songstress’s star was rapidly rising thanks to her stellar portrayal of the real-life Wille Mae “Big Mama” Thornton in the new Elvis movie.

Thornton was a Black woman, who, like many others before her, had her star eclipsed by a white performer.

But, Dukureh, through this film, brought fresh attention to the overlooked historical figure. Before ever receiving national acclaim for her Elvis performance, Dukureh, to whom we will be forever indebted for doing the role justice, had already made her mark on the local Nashville gospel scene.

According to WPLN, she graduated from Fisk University with a theater degree and from Trevecca Nazarene with a degree in education. The hard-working dream-chaser also built her talent as a singer in church and local theater productions despite one of her first loves being teaching.

“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 programing — those programs that we need during the break so that kids can have a positive place to be,” Dukureh said.

She sat down with WPLN’s Nina Cardona last month and said proud former students had been reaching out after seeing her in the Elvis movie.

“They’re blown away,” said Dukureh. “Like, ‘Wow! Miss Shonka! Really?'” she laughed, adding, “I’m still Ms. Shonka, you know!'”

Before passing on, Dukureh’s big break came in an unconventional way. Initially, she was involved with Elvis off-screen as one of about 50 gospel singers pulled in for backup work, reports WPLN. She gave her best, soulful performance and thought her job was done.

A year later, however, she was invited to take on the role of Big Mama Thornton— the legendary singer who originally recorded one of Elvis’s first big hits, “Hound Dog.” According to the Library of Congress, the Presley record spurred a number of lawsuits over publishing rights, and Big Mama Thornton would, for the rest of her life, tell how Elvis got rich and famous with “her” song.

“I knew to really pay tribute to her, I had to tap into myself, my own self-confidence, my own voice,” said Dukureh, explaining that the real Big Mama Thorton 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.”

Elvis director Baz Luhrmann, 59, released a statement in honor of Dukureh on Instagram, saying, "A special light went out today and all of the Elvis movie family are heartbroken by the loss of Shonka Dukureh. From the moment she came into our world, Shonka brought joy, spirit and of course her voice and her music.”

He continued, “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.”

What a treat it was to witness Dukureh’s own voice before it was silenced forever. May she rest in peace, and may her loved ones find comfort in their time of deep grief.

Shonka Dukureh talks about her role in the Elvis biopic.