{"id":22473,"date":"2022-07-22T17:38:48","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T17:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/shonka-dukureh-actress-who-sang-hound-dog-in-elvis-dies-at-44\/"},"modified":"2022-07-22T17:38:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T17:38:48","slug":"shonka-dukureh-actress-who-sang-hound-dog-in-elvis-dies-at-44","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/shonka-dukureh-actress-who-sang-hound-dog-in-elvis-dies-at-44\/","title":{"rendered":"Shonka Dukureh, Actress Who Sang ‘Hound Dog’ in ‘Elvis,’ Dies at 44"},"content":{"rendered":"
Shonka Dukureh, who made her Hollywood debut last month as the soulful blues legend Big Mama Thornton in \u201cElvis,\u201d died on Thursday in Nashville. She was 44.<\/p>\n
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed the death but did not provide a cause, saying only that no foul play was evident. One of her two young children found her unresponsive in her bedroom and ran to alert a neighbor, who called 911 at 9:27 am, the police said.<\/p>\n
\u201cElvis,\u201d the biopic of Elvis Presley that starred Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, was Ms. Dukureh’s first major acting role. In playing Big Mama Thornton, the singer and songwriter who recorded \u201cHound Dog\u201d in 1952, a year before Elvis Presley did, Ms. Dukureh found a role that melded her booming voice with her apparently emerging acting chops.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Her cover of \u201cHound Dog\u201d especially captivated audiences. She also intended to release a studio album, titled \u201cThe Lady Sings the Blues,\u201d according to her website.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Ms. Dukureh, who was from Nashville \u201cby way of Charlotte, NC,\u201d originally planned to become a teacher and held a master’s degree in education from Trevecca Nazarene University, according to her website. She instead pursued the arts, using her powerful voice while touring internationally with Jamie Liddell and the Royal Pharaohs and performing a variety of other featured and background vocals.<\/p>\n
Ms. Dukureh also held a bachelor’s degree in theater from Fisk University, according to her website.<\/p>\n
Her performance in \u201cElvis\u201d rapidly earned her fans, including from every fellow castmates. Olivia DeJonge, who played Priscilla Presley in the movie, told Entertainment Weekly that watching Ms. Dukureh \u201cwas a spiritual experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cTo watch a star essentially be born, to have something in her sort of break free, was just \u2014 it was insane to watch,\u201d Ms. DeJonge said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shonka Dukureh, who made her Hollywood debut last month as the soulful blues legend Big Mama Thornton in \u201cElvis,\u201d died on Thursday in Nashville. She was 44. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed the death but did not provide a cause, saying only that no foul play was evident. One of her two young children …<\/p>\n