Selena Quintanilla Height, Age, Death, Boyfriend, Husband, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Other Name	Selena Quintanilla-Pérez [1]NBC Los Angeles
Nickname(s)	• Preciosa [2]IMDb • Sel • The Queen of Tejano • Buffy • La Reina de Tex-Mex • Queen of Latin Music • Tejano Madonna • Queen of Cumbia
Profession(s)	Singer, Songwriter, Model, Fashion Designer, Entrepreneur, and Actress
Physical Stats & More
[3]IMDb Height	in centimeters- 165 cm in meters- 1.65 m in feet & inches- 5’ 5”
Eye Color	Brown
Hair Color	Brown
Career
Debut	As a Singer Album (As a Part of Selena y Los Dinos): Mis Primeras Grabaciones (1984) Album (As a Solo Artist): Selena (1989) As an Actor: Dos Mujeres, Un Camino (1993) (Mexican Telenovela)
Last Work(s)	Album: Dreaming of You (1995) Acting: Don Juan DeMarco (1995) as 'Ranchera Singer'
Awards, Honors, Achievements	• Inducted to Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017 • Made Guinness World Record for being 'Most Dominating Artist' in 1999 • The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Award - Among Most Performed Song for 'I Could Fall in Love' in 1995 • Grammy Award for Best Mexican/American Album for 'Selena Live!' in 1994 BMI Music Awards • Song of the Year for 'No Mes Queda Mas' in 1995 and 'Si Una Vez' in 1996 • BMI Pop Music Award for 'Amor Prohibido' in 1995 • Most Performed Song of the Year for 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom' in 1995 • Singles With Over a Million Airplay Impressions for 'Dreaming of You' in 1995 Billboard Latin Music Awards • Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Female in 2016 and 2017 • Female Vocalist of the Year in 2011 • Digital Download Artist of the Year in 2011 • Latin Greatest-Hit Album of the Year for 'All My Hits — Todos Mis Exitos Vol. 2' in 2001 • Regional Mexican Hot Latin Track of The Year for 'Tú Sólo Tú' in 1996 • Regional Mexican Hot Latin Video of The Year for 'Tú Sólo Tú' in 1996 • Pop Album of the Year, Female for 'Dreaming of You' in 1996 • Hot Latin Tracks, Artist of the Year in 1994 and 1996 • Spirit of Hope Award in 1995 • Regional Mexican Album of the Year, Female for ‘Amor Prohibido’ in 1994 • Regional Mexican Song of the Year for ‘Amor Prohibido’ in 1994 • Music Video of the Year for 'No mes Queda Mas' in 1994 Lo Nuestro Awards • Special Tribute Artist of the Year in 1996 • Regional Mexican Female Artist in 1993, 1994, and 1995 • Regional Mexican Album of the Year for 'Entre a Mi Mundo' in 1993 and 'Amor Prohibido' in 1995 • Regional Mexican Song of the Year for 'Como La Flor' in 1994 and 'Amor Prohibido' in 1995 • Female Pop Artist of the Year in 1995 Tejano Music Awards • Best Female Vocalist of the 1980s in 2010 • Best Female Vocalist of the 1990s in 2010 • Best 1990s Song for 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom' in 2010 • Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 • Tejano Crossover Song of the Year for 'I Could Fall in Love' in 1996 and 'No Quiero Saber' in 1997 • Female Vocalist of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 • Female Entertainer of the Year in 1998, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 • Album of the Year – Orchestra for 'Entre a Mi Mundo' in 1993, 'Selena Live!' in 1994, and 'Amor Prohibido' in 1995 • Showband of the Year (Selene y Los Dinos) in 1996 • Album of the Year – Overall for 'Dreaming of You' in 1996 • Single of the Year in for 'Amor Prohibido' in 1995 • Song of the Year for 'Bidi Bidi Bom Bom' in 1995, 'Tú Sólo Tú' in 1996, and 'Siempre Hace Frio' in 1997
Personal Life
Date of Birth	April 16, 1971 (Friday)
Birthplace	Freeport Community Hospital, Brazosport, Texas
Date of Death	31 March, 1995 (Friday)
Place of Death	Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas
Age (at the time of death)	23 Years
Death Cause	Gunshot Wound to Subclavian Artery [4]AP News
Zodiac sign	Aries
Signature
Nationality	American
Hometown	Lake Jackson, Texas
School	• Oran M Roberts Elementary School, Dallas, Texas • West Oso Junior High School. Corpus Christi, Texas • American School of Correspondence, Chicago
College/University	Pacific Western University
Educational Qualification	Major in Business Adminstration [5]TSHA - Selena Profile
Religion	Jehovah's Witness [6]AP News
Ethnicity	Mexican from her father's side and Cherokee from her mother's side [7]CNN [8]Forbes
Address	705 Bloomington St. Corpus Christi, TX. 78405
Hobbies	Collecting Shoes, Tobogganing, Parasailing, Motorcycle Riding, and Collecting Fabergé eggs
Relationships & More
Marital Status (at the time of death)	Married
Affairs/Boyfriends	Chris Pérez
Marriage Date	April 2, 1992 (Thursday)
Family
Husband/Spouse	Chris Pérez
Parents	Father- Abraham Quintanilla Jr. (Musician) Mother- Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla (née Samora)
Siblings	Brother- Abraham III, also known as A.B. (Song Producer and Guitarist) Sister- Suzette Quintanilla (former Musician)
Favorite Things
Food	Pizza, Tacos
Restaurant(s)	Olive Garden, Pizza Hut, Whataburger, Jack In The Box
Singer(s)	Donna Summer, Bonnie Raitt, Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston
Song	Black Cat by Janet Jackson
Band(s)	A Taste of Honey, Air Supply
Film(s)	Moonlighting (1985), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Cartoon Character(s)	Tom & Jerry
Flower	White Roses
Perfume	Boucheron
Lipstick	Brick of Chanel
Color	Black Cat by Janet Jackson
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• Red Porche • 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse • BMW
Money Factor
Assets/Properties	According to a news portal, her assests were worthed $5 Million [9]Caller
Net Worth	According to Texas Monthy, her net worth was $164,000 at the time of her death [10]Texas Monthly

Some Lesser Known Facts About Selena Quintanilla

• Selena Quintanilla was an American singer, songwriter, model, fashion designer, and actress. She was named the ‘Queen of Tejano Music.’ She is regarded as one of the most significant Mexican-American singers of the late 20th century.

• When Selena was still in her mother’s womb, her parents had named her ‘Marc Anthony’ as they were convinced that the child was going to be a boy. Upon her birth, she was named ‘Preciosa’ but her name was changed to ‘Selena’ after the suggestion from her mother’s roommate in the hospital.

• Selena was inspired to perform after seeing Michael Jackson at the 1984 Astrodome concert. According to Selena, her other influences on dance, music, and fashion were Donna Summer, Madonna, Paula Abdul, and Janet Jackson.

• Selena was a Soprano. Although she did not write most of her songs, her songs showed the influence of R&B, Latin pop, technopop, country and western, and disco into her Tejano music repertoire.

• Selena’s talent in music was discovered by her father when she was a child, and he began training her. In 1981, her father formed a band ‘Selena y Los Dinos’ (with his friends and children) of which Selena was a lead vocalist; her brother, A.B. was a bass guitarist, and her sister, Suzette, was a drummer in the band. The first showcase of their band happened at her father’s Tex-Mex restaurant ‘Papagayos.’
  

  Selena Performing with her Band at her Father’s Restaurant

• After the restaurant was closed due to recession (caused by the 1980s oil glut) the following year, her family went bankrupt and had to migrate to Corpus Christi, Texas. In Corpus Christi, the band continued to perform on streets and other venues and events. The band performed in Tejano music compositions, a Spanish-language genre with German influence, which was male dominant.

• During her junior years, she continued to perform, which meddled with her education, and her teachers especially Marilyn Greer, were against her musical career due to pressure been put on her (Selena) at a very young age. Marilyn also threatened her father that she would report him to the Texas Board of Education.

• When she was in class 8, she was taken out of school and began studying in correspondence. After she graduated from high school, she was accepted at Louisiana State University but chose to study at Pacific Western University.

• At the same time, she also became very popular and was signed with Freddie Records, a Texas-based music label. After the release of the band’s (Selena y Los Dinos) first official album ‘Mis Primeras Grabaciones,’ Freddie Records told them that they have to continue to perform like before as they were not yet prepared to have a professional release of their albums. While performing, the band was discovered by GP Production in 1987 through which they released their second album ‘Alpha,’ also their first album to be released without legal actions or threats.
  

  Selena with her Band

• The band released three more albums- Munequito De Trapo (1986), And The Winner Is… (1987), and Preciosa (1988), and its last album was ‘Dulce Amor,’ released in 1988.
  

• In 1989, the then head of Sony Music Latin and Jose Behar of EMI Latin Records wanted to sign Selena as a solo artist. Her father chose EMI Label for her and Selena started her career as a solo artist. Selena y Los Dinos continued to play with her during her concerts, but after her death in 1995, the band was disbanded.

• In 1989, guitarist and songwriter Chris Pérez joined ‘Selena y Los Dinos.’ At that time he had a girlfriend in San Antonio but began harboring feelings for Selena. He tried hard to distance away from her but couldn’t and decided to go after her. At a Pizza Hut restaurant, Selena and Chris confessed their love for each other and started dating.

• At first, Selena and Chris hid their relationship because they feared Selena’s father’s disapproval over their relationship. When her sister exposed their relationship, her father declared that they will no longer be together after which they dated each other in secret. Thinking that their relationship will never be approved by her father, Selena and Chris eloped on April 2, 1992, and got married at Nueces County Courthouse. They wanted to keep their marriage a secret for some time, but they were eventually caught by media houses. Until Selena and Chris were accepted by her father, they lived in an apartment in Corpus Christi.

• In interviews, her father has expressed that he was against her daughter’s relationship with Chris Pérez because he thought that he could be a ‘Machista’ (Spanish for a male chauvinist), who would not let Selena continue her music career.

• Her brother, A.B., continued to write and produce songs for her even after she started as a solo artist.

• Her debut album ‘Selena’ peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart. ‘Selena’ also became her first recording to debut on a national music chart.

• Her single ‘Sukiyaki’ from Selena (1989) was an original composition of Kyu Sakamoto (Japanese Singer) in Japanese in the 1960s. She used the Spanish translation of the English version of the song by Janie Marie Johnson.

• Selena’s father wanted Selena to maintain her public image as clean and family-oriented, and because of that, he rejected Selena’s sponsorships from beer companies in 1989.

• The same year, she became one of the spokespersons of Coca-Cola in Texas. Her brother A.B. and Chris composed the jingles of the first two commercials that she did for Coca-Cola.
  

  Selena in an Advertisement for Coca-Cola

• The song ‘Baila Esta Cumbia’ from her second album ‘Ven Conmigo’ (1990), became one of her most successful singles, and a compilation album titled ‘Baila Esta Cumbia’ was released in Mexico, which was certified platinum by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON), denoting sales of 150,000 units.

• In 1991, Salvadoran singer Álvaro Torres composed a duet titled ‘Buenos Amigos,’ which was released with Torres’ tenth studio album ‘Nada Se Compara Contigo’ (1991). The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Top Latin Songs chart.

• She has recorded several albums like Ven Conmigo (1990), Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), and Amor Prohibido (1994). In May 1992, her third studio album ‘Entre a Mi Mundo’ was released and peaked number one on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart for eight consecutive months. The album was certified 10x platinum by the RIAA for sales of 600,000 album-equivalent units, became her ‘breakthrough album,’ and the first Tejano album by a female artist to sell over 300,000 copies.
  

• On September 17, 1993, one of her performances was given the title of ‘the biggest Tejano act in Mexico.’ The performance was attended by 70,000 people.

• She was recording her album ‘Dreaming of You’ before her death in March 1995. The album was set to be her first English album and was going to see its release in September or October 1995. Soon after her death, the album was released on July 18, 1995. Many of her albums (combined and live) were released posthumously.

• She has appeared in telenovelas like Latin Nights (1994) and Don Juan DeMarco (1995).

• In 1994, she started her clothing line and launched two boutiques called Selena Etc. with in-house beauty salons, in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. Together with the fashion designee Martin Gomez, she began manufacturing clothes. She was also going to open stores in  Monterrey, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Her boutiques were managed by Yolanda Saldívar (a nurse and murderer of Selena). However, after her death in 1995, the boutiques were handled by her husband, and by 2009, both the stores were shut down.
  

  Selena Standing in Front of her Boutique

• In August 1994, she organized a charity baseball game to raise money for unspecified charities. She was also a spokesperson for women in abusive relationships in homeless shelters.

• Selena met the nurse Yolanda Saldívar while performing with her band. Yolanda quit her job as a nurse to start a fan club for Selena and, in the process, became very close to Selena and her family. Yolanda was made the acting president of the fan club in 1991, and in 1994, her family appointed Yolanda as Selena’s boutiques’ manager. Eight months later, Yolanda was signed as her registered agent in San Antonio, Texas, after which she moved from San Antonio to Corpus Christi to live closer to Selena.
  

  Selena Quintanilla with Yolanda Saldívar

• In December 1994, the boutiques met with huge losses as there was a decrease in the number of staff in both stores, caused by Yolanda who often threw out employees that she disliked. However, Selena refused to accept that Yolanda was harming her company, which led the employees to go to Selena’s father regarding the issue. Her father believed the employees and told Selena to stay away from Yolanda, and also led a private investigation on Yolanda, after fans started showing their discontent over the payment of membership in Selena fan club but receiving nothing in return for it. In the private investigation, it was found that Yolanda had embezzled more than $30,000 via forged checks from the fan club and boutiques.

• On the night of March 9, 1995, Selena and her family confronted Yolanda regarding the issue. Her father even threatened to involve the police if she could not prove that she was innocent, and forbade Yolanda from contacting Selena. Selena trusted Yolanda and wanted to remain friends with her because Yolanda had the bank records, statements, and financial records necessary for tax preparation.

• In the days before Selena’s death, Yolanda held Selena in handing over the bank statements and financial records and claimed to have experienced physical and sexual assault in Mexico. On March 31, 1995, Selena took Yolanda to a medical clinic to have her (Yolanda) examined for an assault and they both went to Yolanda’s motel room at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, where Selena demanded the financial papers from Yolanda. At 11:48 a.m. (CST), Yolanda took out a gun from her purse and shot Selena when she attempted to flee. Selena was shot once on the right lower shoulder, which severed an artery and caused her severe loss of blood. She ran towards the lobby critically wounded, with a 392-foot (119 m) long trail of blood following her. Yolanda chased her and called her a ‘bitch.’ Selena was seen by a clerk who called the emergency service. Before she collapsed Selena told that Yolanda shot her and gave the clerk the number of the room where she was shot.
  

  Room Where Selena was Shot

• Yolanda tried to flee from the scene in her pickup truck but was spotted by a responding police cruiser and after a nearly nine-and-a-half-hour of a standoff with the police and the FBI, Yolanda surrendered.

• Selena was declared brain dead at her arrival at the Corpus Christi Hospital, Selena. The attending emergency room physician decided to attempt to revive her and Cardiologist Louis Elkins performed surgery on her. After the surgery, doctors were able to establish an ‘erratic heartbeat’ long enough to transfer her to the trauma room, and at 1:05 p.m. (CST), she was pronounced dead from blood loss and cardiac arrest.

• Her autopsy was performed the same day, due to overwhelming media interest. The autopsy revealed that the bullet had penetrated Selena’s upper right back, near her shoulder blade, passed through her chest cavity, severing the right subclavian artery, and had exited her right upper chest.

• In October 1995, a Houston jury declared Yolanda Saldívar guilty of first-degree murder of Selena and sentenced Yolanda to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

• On April 3, 1995, her burial took place at Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Cristi and the event was attended by six hundred guests consisting of mostly family members.
  

  Cemetery of Selena Quintanilla

• Two months after her death, Chris gave all the rights to her entertainment properties to her father.

• Several days after her murder, American radio and TV personality Howard Stern cracked fun of her burial and funeral, her mourners, and also denounced her music. Howard had said
  

  This music does absolutely nothing for me. Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul … Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth.”

  He also went on to play Selena’s song with the sound of gunshots in the background in his show. Howard’s statements angered the Hispanic community in Texas and a disorderly conduct arrest warrant was issued in his name, which made him go on-air. He had stated in Spanish,

  My comments were not made to cause “more anguish to her family, friends and those who loved her”.

  Howard was not charged formally but the League of United Latin American Citizens boycotted his show and Texas retailers removed products related to him.

• On April 12, 1995, George W. Bush, the then governor of Texas, declared her birthday as ‘Selena Day in the state.’ According to Bush,
  

  Selena represented “the essence of south Texas culture.”

• In 1995, the name ‘Selena’ was ranked one of the 100 most popular names for newborn girls by the United States Social Security Administration. Singer-songwriter Selena Gomez was also named after her. ^[11]My San Antonio

• She was in the process of building a new home, containing 10 bedrooms, located in “King Estates” south of Corpus Christi, before her death.

• Since her childhood, she was involved in Philanthropy and helped organizations such as Toys for Tots. She often went on visits to local schools to talk to students about the importance of education, having positive attitudes, setting life-goals, and refraining from alcohol and drugs. She also held fundraising concerts to help victims of Hurricane Andrew in Florida and for organizations such as D.A.R.E.

• In 1997, her biopic ‘Selena’ was released. The film was produced by her family and Warner Bros. The initial choice for the role of Selena was actress Salma Hayek, but she refused to do the film as she thought it was too early to base a film on her. Later, Puerto Rican-American actress-singer Jennifer Lopez was chosen for her role in the film and the role is often cited by critics as Lopez’s breakthrough role.
  

• In 1997, Mirador de La Flor (English: Lookout of the Flower), also known as Selena’s seawall, which is Selena’s own life-size bronze statue monument in Corpus Christi, Texas, was unveiled. The statue was sculpted by H. W. “Buddy” Tatum.
  

  Mirador de La Flor

• A broadway-bound musical titled ‘Selena Forever’ was based on her and it premiered in San Antonio in March 2000. The musical was produced by Tom Quinn, Jerry Frankel, Peter Fitzgerald, and Michael Vega, and written by Edward Gallardo. Her role was portrayed by Veronica Vasquez.
  

• In 2002, many fans and historians criticized a judge’s order of destroying the gun used to shoot Selena as the event was deemed historical and the gun should have been in a museum; the pieces of the gun were thrown into Corpus Christi Bay.

• In January 2015, a two-day annual event called ‘Fiesta de la Flor’ was announced to be held in memory of Selena in Corpus Christi by the Corpus Christi Visitors Bureau.
  

  A Still from Fiesta de la Flor

• On August 30, 2016, her wax statue was displayed for the first time at Madame Tussauds Hollywood.
  

  Stutue of Selena Quintanilla at Madame Tussauds Hollywood

• In October 2016, MAC Cosmetics launched a limited edition of Selena’s makeup line. The cosmetic line became the best-selling celebrity line in cosmetic history.
  

  Makeup Line of Selena by Mac Cosmetics

• On October 17, 2017, Google honored Selena with a musical doodle of her life.
  

  Google Doodle of Selena

• On December 11, 2018, a biographical television series based on her titled ‘Selena: The Series’ was announced to be released on Netflix in 2020. In the series, Selena’s character was played by the Actress Christian Serratos. The two-part series is being done with the participation of the Quintanilla family.

• In 2019, Forever 21 started a clothing line called “Selena: The White Rose Collection” celebrating her legacy.
  

  Selena-The White Rose Collection by Forever 21

• She was an animal lover and while growing up, she had a chicken named April. She had 5 pet dogs: a husky, a black Pomeranian named Pebbles, two mastiffs named Winny and Taylor, and two miniature pinchers named Julia and Andre. She also owned a pet snake with Chris.

• Selena was fond of collecting Fabergé eggs and had big glass cabinets in her living rooms in which there were more than 500 designer eggs, made of gold to diamond and every size.
  

  Selena Quintanilla’s Collection of Fabergé Eggs