Entertainment
Elvis director Baz Luhrmann ‘heartbroken’ over death of star Shonka Dukureh aged 44: ‘A special light went out today’-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro
The late star played Big Mama Thornton in the film.
Elvis marked the late star’s film debut (Picture: Warner Bros/Avalon)
Baz Luhrmann, the director of the biopic Elvis, has paid tribute following the death of one of the stars of the film Shonka Dukureh, honouring her ‘tremendous talent’.
Last month, Dukureh made her film debut playing Big Mama Thornton in the movie, opposite Austin Butler as the titular character, with one of her most memorable moments being when she belted out Hound Dog.
This week, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed that the performer was found in the bedroom of her apartment, which she shared with her two young children. No foul play is suspected, and a cause of death is yet to be classified following the autopsy results.
Tributes have come pouring in for the late star, with Luhrmann sharing a series of pictures of Dukureh on Instagram, including one of him kissing her on the forehead while on the set of Elvis.
‘A special light went out today and all of the Elvis movie family are heartbroken by the loss of Shonka Dukureh,’ the 59-year-old wrote in his caption.
‘From the moment she came into our world, Shonka brought joy, spirit and of course her voice and her music.’
The director expressed how ‘heartbroken’ the Elvis family are over Dukureh’s death (Picture: Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)
Luhrmann said that whenever Dukureh was on set, on stage or in the room, ‘everyone always felt uplifted’.
‘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,’ he said.
Cinemagoers were bowled over by Dukureh’s incredible talent (Picture: Twitter/iamshonka)
‘A favorite 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.’
Several people in awe of Dukureh’s talent after watching Elvis commented on Luhrmann’s post, with one writing: ‘Thank you to everyone involved in getting her into the film. She had an incredibly powerful voice, and I’m glad she got to share it with the world. She’s definitely appreciated and loved, and will be missed very much.’
A neighbour called the emergency services after being notified by one of Dukureh’s children (Picture: Twitter/iamshonka)
‘May she rest in peace 🕊️ and forever live on what the music and love she left behind,’ someone else said.
Another person wrote: ‘This is heartbreaking. She was magnificent in the movie. Rest in peace Shonka.’
According to police, one of Dukureh’s children found her unresponsive, which is when they ran to a neighbour’s house to alert them.
The neighbour called the emergency services just before 9.30am on Thursday. The autopsy results from the Medical Examiner’s Office are pending.
As well as her role in the film, Dukureh is also widely known for appearing in Doja Cat’s music video for Vegas, which featured her vocals on Hound Dog, a song recorded by Big Mama Thornton a few years before Presley.
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