What Happened To Elvis Actress Shonka Dukureh? Update On Her Illness And Cause Of Demise

In a statement to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, the Tennessee Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that "Elvis" actress Shonka Dukureh passed away from "natural causes."

Cardiovascular disease caused by hypertension and atherosclerosis was listed as the cause of her death.

The director of the film Elvis, Baz Luhrmann, wrote a eulogy in her honor, saying that "the entire cast and crew was so devoted to her."

In a story that appeared in Time in July, Luhrmann wrote, "Underneath all that goodness was a living human being, hilarious as hell." "I can't imagine a situation where she wouldn't interact with those around her."

Luhrmann remembers that Dukureh was singing gospel when he first heard her. He said he could "hear her voice truly raising people," which was how he knew he had chosen a "genuine spiritual person" for the movie.

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A month after she died, the reason for Shonka's death was revealed to the general public; hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Basically, in individuals with high blood pressure, hypertensive heart disease is a chronic disorder that progresses slowly over many years.

Despite being prevalent, high blood pressure is not a benign condition. Atherosclerosis, the artery-clogging process that causes heart attacks and strokes, is mainly brought on by high blood pressure.

Yet to have Wikipedia, Shonka's prominent role as R&B singer and composer Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton would turn out to be her one and only significant acting job.

In her breakthrough performance, she not only collaborated with director Baz but starred with Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, and Olivia DeJonge.

"Gospel vocalist is another gift that the multi-talented woman possesses." In a tweet posted on Thursday, Nashville Mayor John Cooper regretted the loss of her extraordinary talents.

He wrote, "On this sad day, we commemorate her legacy and the great voice and craftsmanship she left behind in her music."

As per Hollywood Life, the actress earned a theater bachelor's degree from Fisk University in Nashville. She also acquired a master's degree in education from Trevecca Nazarene University.

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The 44-year-old actress' net worth at the time of her death might have been around $100k.

However, the following is only an estimate based on her career accomplishments, as she has acted in several plays and musicals that have traveled the country over the years with great success.

Plus, she earned the 2003 Tennessean Theatre Award for Best Musical Direction or Performance as a Vocalist and gained critical acclaim for her performance in Marcus Hummon's American Duet.

Along with performing with Freedom Sings, multi-media musical performance of the First Amendment Center, she spent more than ten years traversing the nation to conferences and college campuses.

The official website of Shonka claimed that she was working on an album.

As stated on the website, she was motivated by her involvement with Elvis. The album "is a tribute to the blues music genre in honor of those brave, unappreciated pioneering artists and musicians who led the way to the rock'n roll music revolution."