‘Elvis’ star Shonka Dukureh’s cause of death has been confirmed
The cause of Elvis actor Shonka Dukureh’s death had now been confirmed. The actor played Big Mama Thornton in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley, and she tragically passed away last month at the age of just 44.
On July 21st, Dukureh was found dead by police in her Nashville home. One of her young children had discovered her body in an unresponsive state and went to find help from a neighbour. The neighbour quickly called 911, and the emergency services attended the house, but they found no evidence of foul play.
It has been announced that Dukureh died of natural causes, according to a spokesperson of the medical examiner’s office. They told the Los Angeles Times that the official cause of death was “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease”. That is a build-up of fat and cholesterol in the arteries, resulting in high blood pressure, blood clots and a lack of blood flow.
Director Baz Luhrmann had taken to Instagram to pay tribute to the actor. He said, “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. Whenever she was on set, on stage or even just in the room, everyone always felt uplifted”.
He added, “Shonka was just starting to find a larger audience for her tremendous talent, and I got to see her uplift whole crowds of people at Coachella and beyond. A favourite 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. We send all our love and support to Shonka’s children and family at this time”.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.