Selena Quintanilla Pérez, also known as just Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Dubbed the ‘Queen of Tejano Music’, she was one of the most popular Mexican-American singers during the late 80s and early 90s. She was born in Texas and was the youngest member of the Quintanilla family. The family discovered Selena’s musical abilities when she was just six. She was one the best-selling female artists in Latin music with over 18 million records sold all over the world.
Her entry onto the worldwide stage was through the band Selena y Los Dinos which was the band formed by her family. She became a star in Tejano music which was a male-dominated genre until then. Selena won the award Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year, a record-breaking nine times. She released five solo studio albums – ‘Selena‘ (1989), ‘Ven Conmigo‘ (1990), ‘Entre a Mi Mundo‘ (1992), ‘Amor Prohibido‘ (1994), and ‘Dreaming of You‘ (1995).
Related Who Was Selena? Why Did Jennifer Lopez Pay Tribute To Her After 25 years?
Events Leading Up To Selena Quintanilla Pérez’s Death
Yolanda Saldívar was appointed as the manager for Selena Etc. Boutiques by the Quintanilla family in 1994. After the appointment, Saldívar moved to Corpus Christi from San Antonio to manage the business. After Saldívar took charge of the boutiques, the business reduced which was attributed to Saldívar’s impulsive firing of employees without any reason. It was believed that she fired employees just out of her personal aversion to them. The issue was brought up to both Selena and her father Quintanilla Jr. Selena dismissed the concerns but her father warned her of Saldívar’s behavior.
In January 1995, Quintanilla Jr. learned about fans paying for access to Selena Fan Club while receiving nothing in exchange. Quintanilla Jr. began his inquisition and gathered that Saldívar was involved in embezzling more than 30,000 dollars from the fans. Quintanilla Jr. confronted Saldívar and asked her to prove her innocence. Selena still did not distance herself from Saldívar as she thought Saldívar would be a critical part of her boutique’s success.
In Case You Missed It: Who Is Selena Vargas? Where Is She Now?
The Murder Of Selena Quintanilla Pérez
In late March 1995, Saldívar was asked to show her financial records to prove her innocence. Saldívar delayed the process by claiming that she had been physically and sexually assaulted in Mexico. She was just given a brief physical examination in a clinic in Corpus Christi. After the nurse suggested that the rape exam be conducted in San Antonio, Selena Quintanilla Pérez met Saldívar in the motel room in Corpus Christi, where she demanded the financial records from Saldívar.
At this point, Saldívar took her gun and aimed it at Selena. When she tried to run from the room, Saldívar shot her in the lower right shoulder, which damaged her subclavian artery. In her critical condition, Selena ran 120 meters before collapsing on the lobby floor. She gave Saldívar’s name and room number to emergency services before falling unconscious. She was immediately admitted to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital, where she was declared brain-dead on arrival. Efforts to resuscitate her were carried out for almost an hour but she did not respond to the treatment. She was declared dead. After an immense standoff between police and Saldívar, she was caught and later sentenced to life imprisonment. Selena Quintanilla Pérez died at the young age of 23. Hoards of people turned up to pay respects to their favorite star.
You May Also Like To Read: Who Is Selena Gomez’s New Boyfriend, Andrew “Drew” Taggart?
