Born In Texas
New facts come to light regarding Selena’s tragic life. Selena was called the queen of Tejano music and was considered as one of the most famous Mexican Americans of the twentieth century. Selena is especially credited for crossover and elevating Latin music and artists into the mainstream media.
Born as Selena Quintanilla to a Mexican family in Texas, Selena’s beauty and talent were known to everyone. After her father Abraham Quintanilla decided to create a family band, Selena became the lead singer. The family struggled for years until Selena finally began to gain popularity towards the end of the 1980’s, when her records topped the charts.
Yolanda Saldivar
In 1991, Selena met Yolanda Saldivar, who soon became her fan club president, manager of one Selena’s clothing stores and a close friend. Selena’s story became a colossal success in the United States, Mexico and the rest of the world.
In the midst of it all, she also found her soulmate after she fell in love with her guitar player, Chris Perez.
He's A Thief
After several complaints from fans and employees, Selena’s family began suspecting that Saldivar was stealing money from them. After confronting her with accusations of embezzlement, Saldivar denied all of them and demanded to meet with Selena alone. The two met in an inn in Texas and began arguing.
Saldivar then pulled a loaded gun and shot Selena in the back and shoulder, killing her. Selena was only 24 years old. Saldivar then fled the scene, threatening to kill herself in front of the police until she finally surrendered.
Grief
Fans all across the world were stricken with grief over the loss of their favorite singer, who is still memorable today. Selena is still regarded as one of the most successful singers in music history, selling over 60 million records around the globe.
Here are some of the unusual things regarding the amazing Selena.
She Didn’t Speak Spanish
Contrary to popular belief, Selena could speak only a few words in Spanish. Her father had to teach her how to sing it phonetically in her earliest records.
When she first appeared on the Johnny Canales show in 1988, she asked if she could do her interview in English. After she became an international star, she decided to learn the language completely.
Pregnant?
Various rumors circulated on and off around whether Selena was pregnant or not during her death. While her killer Yolanda Saldivar said that Selena was pregnant at the time.
Selena’s husband Chris Perez strongly denied it. Selena’s family are extremely evasive regarding the subject, and they don’t give a real answer regarding the mystery.
Her Brother Is In Trouble
The Quintallia family continued to stay in the headlines although for the wrong reasons unfortunately. Recently, it was revealed that the late singer’s brother was listed in the Top 10 Most wanted their hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Abraham Quintallia III was charged with several charges including nonpayment of child support and contempt of court.
A Feminist Icon
Selena had always perceived herself as a feminist icon in Tejano music scene.
Tejano music was known for its male dominance and orientation.
Hiding Poverty
Selena and her siblings were growing up near poverty, after their father’s restaurant got closed down. Her father would usually take the family to buy food in the small hours so that no one they know will see that they are actually using food stamps.
At one point, the entire Quintanilla family of 13 people lived crowded together in a small house with only one bathroom.
Her Net Worth
The late Tex-Mex star had started singing ever since she could speak. Due to her colossal success in both the Mexican and American Crowds, Selena began outnumbering many America artists in sales.
She had multiple top selling hits during the 1990’s with 14 songs on Billboard’s Latin chart (seven of them reached number one). Upon her death, Selena had a total net worth of $10 million, who eventually passed on to her father and her family
Her killer
After shooting the singer to death, Yolanda Saldivar ran away from the scene while being pursued by the local police. She then locked herself inside a pickup truck in a nearby parking lot for nine hours, during which she threatened to take her own life.
Upon hearing the sad news, thousands of Selena fans attended the scene to witness the police standoff with Saldivar, who eventually surrendered herself to the police.
Inspiring Katy
Selena’s most famous fan is singer Katy Perry. Perry explained Selena's influence on her career and she said,“Someone asked me ‘What did you think of when you were a little girl relating to the Grammy’s?’ to which I responded, ‘I remember Selena! That’s all I remember!
I remember that dress – I think it was red! I remember the whole movie about her… and I wanted to be in that world.”
Her Funeral
Almost 100,000 people showed up at the singer’s public viewing that took place at the convention center in Corpus Christi, Texas. Many fans, friends, and family members lined up along the road of the funeral procession to honor their beloved singer one last time.
Before lowering Selena’s casket, many fans left thousands of white roses, which was known as her favorite.
Her Issue Broke a Record
Following her death, people magazine decided to print a tribute issue in Selena’s memory. The late singer was honored to be the third person in the entire magazine’s history to have an issue produced in their name.
While they initially thought that the edition would be moderately successful, it went beyond their wildest dreams. As it turned out, the tribute issue and all of its printings have sold out.
She’s a Madonna
Selena Quintanilla soon became known by her fans as the Tejano Madonna. They also had a similar style in fashion.
Although she received the nickname due to her flamboyant wardrobe, she was also being criticized by many for her provocative clothes. The singer rejected these comments, saying that she considered herself a role model for many young girls in the Hispanic community in the United States and Mexico.
Selena Day in Texas
The former president George W. Bush, who was the governor of Texas back in 1995, announced that the late star’s birthday will be Selena day in her home state.
Every year on April 16, her date of birth is a day of celebration for many of Selena’s fans in Texas. Bush’s choice to honor Selena is due to her major contributions to Texan music and for spreading its culture across the world.
Lopez For Her Role
In 1997, Warner Bros. announced that a movie based on Selena’s life will be coming out to the big screens.
Actress Salma Hayek and Mexican star Bibi Gaytán were both contacted regarding the role. In the end, the producers chose the then not known Jennifer Lopez for the part.
Her Inspiration For Music
Jeniffer Lopez received more than a million dollars for the role, which at that time was the highest salary of an actress of Latin origin in Hollywood history. Lopez herself said that her role of Selena inspired her to pursue a career in music.
Unfortunately not everyone was happy with the decision of casting Lopez. Several Mexican organizations protested against the studio’s pick, saying that Lopez who was Puerto-Rican was an insult for Selena’s Mexican heritage.
Same Life Experience
Beyoncé could relate to Selena’s story, as both of them were originally from Texas and shared a similar background regarding their young age and father’s involvement in their music. She said that The late Tex-Mex singer had a strong influence on her career, saying “I think she is a legend.
I admire her. She was so talented”.
Missing Her
Although he eventually re-married and started a family, Selena’s husband Chris Perez said that he still misses her every day.
Helping Her Community
Selena was famous for her philanthropic activities and always gave back to her community, even when she had almost nothing to give. During her childhood, the singer used to volunteer in many charities in the area such as Toys for Tots while also giving lectures at schools about educations.
Later on, she became a spokesperson for many social organizations regarding health and domestic violence.
Same As Elvis
The sense of loss in grief among her fans was so great it caused them to question her death. During her funeral, a rumor inspired by Elvis Presley has spread over the 50,000 attendants that Selena is alive and her coffin is, in fact, empty.
The family had to open the coffin for a brief moment in order to show the crowd that she is indeed lying there, dead.
Loss Of An Icon
Joe Patoski, A famous historian of Texas, has released a book about the late star called “Selena: Como La Flor”. During an interview with NBC, Patoski said: “I’m old enough to remember Dallas and JFK and it seemed like the same thing all over again.
For Mexican-Americans in Texas, the reaction was intense and deeply personal. To this day, an entire generation remembers where they were when they heard the news.”