Shonka Dukureh, a singer and actress, has handed away. She was finest identified for her function as Huge Mama Thornton in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” which was launched on June 24 of this 12 months. The artist, 44, was found lifeless on Thursday, July 21 in her residence in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dukureh’s dying was reported by Metro Nashville Police on Twitter. She was found lifeless within the bed room of the residence she and her two youngsters shared. The 44-year-old actress Shonka Dukureh, who performed Huge Mama Thornton on this 12 months’s Elvis movie, handed away right now, however there isn’t a signal of foul play, in keeping with the authorities. Dukureh, a graduate of Fisk College, was found lifeless within the bed room of the residence she lived along with her two younger kids on Kothe Manner. In response to The Tennessean, certainly one of Dukureh’s youngsters found her unresponsive on Thursday morning, July 21. They then ran to a neighbor for help. At 9.27 am, the neighbor dialed 911. It isn’t but identified what brought on the dying.
John Cooper, the mayor of Nashville, tweeted his sympathies to Dukureh’s household. “My honest condolences to the household of Shonka Dukureh,” he wrote. Shonka obtained her diploma at @Fisk1866 and lived in Nashville for a very long time. We pay tribute to her on this tragic day and have fun her sensible voice and artistry by way of her songs. “Relaxation in peace Shonka Dukureh, you had been an excellent singer and actress,” others responded. “Shonka Dukureh passing away is basically painful,” one other individual remarked. She had two kids and greater than only a pretty voice. Lord, please encompass her kids and household together with your love and therapeutic.
Shonka Dukureh
Who was Shonka Dukreh?
Dukureh was initially from Charlotte, North Carolina, however ultimately settled in Nashville, in keeping with The Tennessean. She graduated with a theater bachelor’s diploma from Fisk College and a educating grasp’s diploma from Trevecca Nazarene College. Her web site states that Dukureh, who initially most popular to pursue a profession in training, supposed to shortly launch her debut full-length album, titled “The Woman Sings the Blues.” In response to what she said on her web site, “The venture is a tribute to the blues music style in appreciation of these courageous unheralded pioneering artists and musicians who paved the best way for the rock-n-roll music revolution.”
In an announcement on the web site, Dukreh’s supervisor Tracy Matthews stated of her, “She undoubtedly has the capability to convey any music’s story with ardour, bringing her listeners on an emotional journey as she places her coronary heart and soul into each single be aware and nuance.”
Lauded performances
Dukreh contributed backup vocals to Grammy winner Mike Farris’ 2018 album “Silver and Stone,” to famed music producer Pete Rock’s 2016 album “Don’t Smoke Rocks,” and to Smoke Dza’s 2016 album “Nate Bean and 4Given.” She was additionally featured because the lead vocalist on that very same 12 months’s album.
She has carried out as a soloist or backing vocalist with musicians together with Nick Cave, Mike Farris, and Christopher Roberts, amongst others, and has traveled internationally with teams like Jamie Liddell and The Royal Pharaohs.