A coroner's report reveals that the 44-year-old actress died of a natural cause.
Shonka Dukureh, the 44-year-old Elvis actress and blues singer who was found dead in her Nashville home last month, died of heart disease.
According to a coroner's report obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, Dukureh's official cause of death is listed as "hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease" and the manner of death is listed as "natural."
As ET previously reported, Dukureh -- who played Big Mama Thornton in the Baz Luhrmann production -- was found dead on the morning of July 21, in the bedroom of her apartment that she shared with her two young children. One of them found her unresponsive and ran to a neighbor’s apartment, where police said, at 9:27 a.m., the neighbor called 911.
In addition to landing her first major film role in Elvis, Dukureh appeared in Doja Cat's "Vegas" music video, where she played the Big Mama Thornton role as well.
At the time of her death, Elvis director Luhrmann released a statement in her honor.
"A special light went out today and all of the Elvis movie family are heartbroken by the loss of Shonka Dukureh. From the moment she came into our world, Shonka brought joy, spirit and of course her voice and her music," the filmmaker wrote on Instagram. "Whenever she was on set, on stage or even just in the room, everyone always felt uplifted. 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. A favorite word of Shonka’s, in daily use, was 'blessings,' and I, along with the entire Elvis cast, crew and musical collaborators, feel truly blessed to have had time with her. We send all our love and support to Shonka’s children and family at this time."
According to Dukureh's website, the teacher turned Hollywood star, who lent her powerhouse vocals to the film, was set to release her first studio album this summer.
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