Elvis Actress and Singer Found Dead in Nashville Apartment

A view of the red carpet at the UK special Screening of Elvis at the BFI Southbank, in London on May 31, 2022. Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images

Shonka Dukureh, an actress and singer who starred as Big Mama Thornton in the Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” movie died on Thursday, police said.

The 44-year-old was found unresponsive in her Nashville apartment by one of her two young children, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a written statement.