‘Selena: The Series’ Episode 4 ‘Opening Act’: Who is Vangie? A look at AB Quintanilla's string of wives and kids
Not just the world of glam and glitz, ‘Selena: The Series’ gives us a glimpse of the Quintanilla family's personal life too. In the fourth episode, AB Quintanilla (Gabriel Chavarria), locks eyes with a young girl during a performance. Sparks fly and the two steal a spot in the corner of the club to get to know each other. Right then, AB's father Abraham Quintanilla (Ricardo Chavira) rushes in and reminds him of the rules he had set for the band.
Abraham scolds AB, “What have I told you about mingling with the club? First rule?” AB replies, “not mingle.” When Abraham tells him, “an artist needs mystery,” AB argues, “okay so when do I get to meet people?” and Abraham says, “when you're not working, that's when." But, AB is not one to let go. “Okay, so when is that?” he asks. Well, a valid point. The girl comes to see him at another performance and the two are all smiles to see each other. Towards the end of the episode, she arrives in a car with her sister and introduces herself as Vangie. Who was Vangie in AB's life? In the next episode, she is pregnant and AB discusses where she will be while the family is on the road.
Doesn't that scene make you wonder what was AB Quintanilla's love life like? Did he have a girlfriend at a young age who got pregnant? Interestingly, AB has had a string of wives and children. Here's a sneak peek into his dating history.
The older brother of the Queen of Tejano Music is infamous for his marriages and break-ups through the years. So who were his wives and kids?
Evangelina Almeida
At 24, he first met Evangelina Almeida aka Vangie. The two tied the knot on April 17, 1988, in Corpus Christi, a year before Selena’s self-titled album was released. On March 31, 1995, Selena was brutally murdered after her friend and manager Yolanda Saldívar shot her. The tragedy changed the lives of the Quintanilla family. Unable to bear the loss, AB couldn't cope up with the sorrow and his marriage fell apart.
The pair welcomed their oldest child named Martika in 1989 and also have a son named Svani. However, they soon parted ways.
Heather Grein
Four years after the death of Selena, AB got back to the music scene and started the Kumbia Kings in 1999. In 2002, he married his second wife, Heather Grein. However, that marriage fell apart too. The pair had two sons together but soon called it quits.
Brenda Ramirez
Barely two years after he wed Heather, AB exchanged vows with Brenda Ramirez on December 31, 2004. Sadly, that relationship didn't work either. Between 1989 and 2007, AB had four more children but it's unclear who is the mother of those children.
Rikkie Leigh Robinson
AB then fell in love with longtime girlfriend Rikkie Leigh Robinson and married her. The two were happily together for five years and tried to have a baby together. By that time, AB was 52 and a father to eight children from his past relationships. The couple couldn't have any children. After a concert on July 5, 2016, Quintanilla announced that he was splitting up with his wife. Check out a video of the two of them together here:
Anjelah O
Currently, AB is married to an Argentine woman named Anjelah O. At first, the two kept their relationship under wraps for over a year but got married on September 16, 2019 in Las Vegas. He shared a photo of them together and captioned it, “Be Happy 😃😃😃 my Peeps!!!”
‘Selena: The Series’ starts streaming all nine new episodes on Netflix this December 4, 2020.