Shonka Dukureh
The Elvis actress, who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in the 2022 biopic — the artist who originally recorded “Hound Dog” — was found dead in her Nashville apartment less than one month after the film’s June release.
“No foul play is evident in today’s death of actress Shonka Dukureh, 44, who portrayed Big Mama Thornton in this year’s Elvis movie,” the official Metro Nashville PD account tweeted on July 21. “Dukureh, a Fisk [University] graduate, was found dead in the bedroom of her Kothe Way apt that she shared with her 2 young children.”
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