'Elvis' actress Shonka Dukureh found dead in Nashville home

Shonka Dukureh, a singer and actress who appeared this year as blues singer Big Mama Thornton in the film 'Elvis', has died at 44. – Photo: Warner Bros

A singer and actress who appeared this year as blues singer Big Mama Thornton in the film Elvis was found dead in her Nashville apartment on Thursday, police said.

The body of Shonka Dukureh, 44, was found after one of her two young children found the actress unresponsive and ran to get a neighbor, who called 9-1-1, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said in a written statement.