“Elvis” actress and blues singer Shonka Dukureh died of “hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
According to documents obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, the coroner ruled her death as “natural.”
The singer, who was just 44 years old at the time of her death, is survived by her two young kids.
On July 21, Dukureh was found dead inside her bedroom in the Nashville apartment she shared with her two children.
The Tennessean reported that Dukureh’s son, who is the oldest of her two kids, found her unresponsive before rushing to the home of a neighbor, who called 911 at approximately 9:30 a.m.
A spokesperson for the Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed that no foul play was suspected.
A rep for Dukureh did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The singer was best known for playing the role of Big Mama Thornton in “Elvis,” which follows the life of Elvis Presley. The movie, which premiered on June 24 and stars Austin Butler, was her first and only movie credit, according to IMDb.
Dukureh proudly talked about her role in the movie — and getting the opportunity to sing Presley’s hit song “Hound Dog” — via Instagram ahead of her death.
“Gratefulness is where I live cuz [sic] my granny, gmama, momma, family modeled and instilled it in me,” she wrote just one week before her untimely death.
“It isn’t a posture of less than or crumbs scraping, but one that acknowledges good things aren’t a guarantee and when we encounter them thankfulness, gratefulness is the least we can express.”
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