Shonka Dukureh, a singer and actress who portrayed Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton in the recently released Elvis, film died Thursday, according to Nashville police.
Dukureh was found dead in her Nashville apartment that she shared with her two young children. The cause of death is unknown at this time but police doesn’t suspect foul play.’
In the new Elvis movie, Dukureh played the R&B singer who was the first artist to record the song “Hound Dog,” later made famous by Elvis Presley. This was Dukureh’s first major film role.
She is featured on the Elvis soundtrack and appears in the music video for Doja Cat‘s song “Vegas,” also from the movie’s soundtrack. Dukureh also performed with Doja Cat during the Coachella music festival in April.
In an Instagram post last week, Dukureh expressed how grateful she was for her breakout role.
“Gratefulness is where I live cuz my granny, gmama, momma, family modeled and instilled it in me. It isn’t a posture of less than or crumbs scraping, but one that acknowledges good things aren’t a guarantee and when we encounter them thankfulness, gratefulness is the least we can express.”
Rest in peace, Queen.
