Selena

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At the Tejano Music Awards in 1987, Selena took the award for Best Female Vocalist (and would continue to dominate the Award for the next seven years).^[6]<ref name="queen" /> In 1988, she released two albums, Preciosa and Dulce Amor. In 1989, José Behar, the former head of the Sony Latin Music division, signed Selena with Capitol/EMI records, a record company he had founded. He later said that the reason he signed Selena was because he thought he had discovered the next Gloria Estéfan.<ref name="queen" /> Selena signed a contract with Coca-Cola to become one of their spokespersons the same year,<ref name="rolemodel" /> and her concerts were drawing thousands of people.

In 1988, Selena met Chris Perez, who had his own band. Two years later, the Quintanilla family hired him to play in Selena's band and they quickly fell in love. At first her father didn't approve of the relationship between Perez and Selena, and went as far as firing Perez from the band. He eventually came to accept the relationship, telling Selena that Perez could come back only if they married and moved next door to the family home.^[7] Selena accepted, and on April 2 1992 Selena and Perez married in Nueces County, Texas, and Selena added her new husband's surname to her own.

In 1990 Selena released another album, Ven Conmigo, written by her main songwriter and brother Abraham Quintanilla, III. This recording was the first Tejano album ever to achieve gold status. Around the same time, a registered nurse and fan named Yolanda Saldívar approached Selena's father with the idea of starting a fan club. Her wish was granted, and she became the club's president; later she would become the manager of Selena's clothing boutiques.<ref name="Gale" /> Selena released another hit album in 1992, Entre A Mi Mundo, which also achieved gold status.^[8] Songs from that album, such as "Como La Flor", helped make Selena a star. Her 1993 Live album won a Grammy award for Best Mexican-American Performance.

Selena released her next album, Amor Prohibido, in 1994. The album was nominated for another Grammy award for Mexican-American Album of the Year. She began designing and manufacturing a clothing line in 1994, and opened two boutiques called Selena Etc., one in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio. Both were equipped with their own in-house beauty salons. Hispanic Business magazine reported that the singer earned over five million dollars from these boutiques.^[9] Selena also made appearances alongside Erik Estrada in a Latin soap opera titled Dos Mujeres, Un Camino.<ref name="Gale" />

Selena and her band continued to receive accolades; Billboard's Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them a total of six prestigious awards, including Best Latin artist and song of the year for Como La Flor. Coca-Cola released a commemorative bottle in her honor to celebrate their five-year relationship. Meanwhile, her duet with the Barrio Boyzz, "Dondequiera Que Estes", raced to the top of the Latin charts. This prompted Selena to tour in New York City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Central America, where she was in growing demand. The duet with Salvadoran singer Alvaro Torres, "Buenos Amigos", was also a hit.

By fall of 1994, Amor Prohibido was a commercial success in Mexico and made four number-one Latin hits, replacing Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" on the chart's number one spot. It sold over 400,000 copies by March of 1995, reaching gold status.<ref name="Gale" /> At this point, Selena developed plans to record an English-language album, but continued to tour for Amor Prohibido while beginning preparations for the album.

In 1995, Selena made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, which starred Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway; she appeared as a background mariachi singer during the first scene. In February 1995, Selena played a concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the Houston Astrodome, which attracted over 61,000 fans—more than country stars such as George Strait, Vince Gill and Reba McEntire.<ref name="rolemodel" /> Despite her busy schedule, Selena visited local schools to talk to students about the importance of education. She also donated her time to civic organizations such as D.A.R.E., and planned a fundraising concert to help AIDS patients. These demonstrations of community involvement won her loyalty from her fan base.^[10] Selena scheduled her English album for release in the summer of 1995. Afraid that her fans would think she was turning her back on them, she was working on a new Tejano album as well. Meanwhile, she planned to open two more boutiques, including one in Monterrey, Mexico.

Death

In early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena's fan club and the manager of her boutiques, was stealing money from the boutiques and decided to fire her. Soon after the fallout, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar in a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi^[11] on the morning of March 31 1995 in order to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes.

At the hotel, Selena demanded the missing financial papers. Saldívar delayed the handover by claiming she had been raped in Mexico.<ref name="queen" /> The singer drove Saldívar to a local hospital, where doctors found no evidence of rape.^[12] Saldívar returned to the motel where Selena again demanded the missing financial papers.

An argument ensued and Saldívar drew a gun from her purse, pointing it first at her own head and then at Selena. As the singer turned and left the room, Saldívar shot her once in the back. Selena fled to the manager's office in the lobby for help, with Saldívar chasing her, calling her a "bitch".^[13] Before collapsing to the floor, Selena named Saldívar as her assailant and gave the number of the hotel room where she had been shot.^[14] After an ambulance and the police arrived on the scene, Selena was transported to a local hospital. She died there from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m., at the age of 23.^[15]

Aftermath