Stars from the film ElvisWe are grieving the passing of actress Shonka Dukureh.
“A special light went out today and all of the Elvis movie family are heartbroken by the loss of Shonka Dukureh,”Director Baz LuhrmannIn a tribute, I wrote InstagramJuly 22. “From the moment she came into our world, Shonka brought joy, spirit and of course her voice and her music.”
Luhrmann then shared some memories of Dukureh who played Big Mama ThorntonIn the film.
“Whenever she was on set, on stage or even just in the room, everyone always felt uplifted,”He continued. “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.”
Let’s not forget how “a favorite word of Shonka’s, in daily use, was ‘blessings,'”The filmmaker stated that he felt the same way. “the entire Elvis cast, crew and musical collaborators, feel truly blessed to have had time with her.”The message was concluded by the sender. “all our love and support to Shonka’s children at this time.”