'Selena: The Series': What was Quintanilla's true story? How icon's rise was smothered by scandals and affairs
Selena Quintanilla, popularly referred to as the "Queen of Tejano music" was born on April 16, 1971, and though her career as a musician was one of bravery and impeccable talent, she died quite tragically on March 31, 1995, at the hands of Yolanda Saldívar. Sixteen days before her 24th birthday, the singer was shot and while her death rocked many emotionally, news of scandals and affairs were also part of her story in the years since the singer has passed.
Besides being a singer, she was also a talented songwriter, actress, fashion designer and actress. The late 20th century saw Selena as one of the biggest entertainers and influential Latin artistes, with Billboard Magazine even honoring as the top-selling Latin artiste of the 1990s. The singer also had a posthumous collocation with MAC, a cosmetics brand that ended up becoming the best-selling celebrity collection in cosmetics history, according to reports.
If you've watched Jennifer Lopez's 1997 biopic 'Selena' then you know the gist of Selena's relationship with boyfriend-turned husband Chris Pérez. During the time her third album, 'Entre A Mi Mundo' (1992) was released, Selena was in a relationship with guitarist Pérez. Selena's father and manager Abraham didn't approve of his daughter's relationship with Pérez.
Abraham had even kicked Perez off the tour bus when had found out about the relationship. In April 1992, Selena and Pérez eloped to Texas and got married, and although Abraham was furious, he had later accepted the couple as husband and wife. He had even asked Chris to join back into the band 'Selena y Los Dinos'.
With the release of ‘Selena: The Real Story’, audiences were shown the possibility of Selena having a relationship with her doctor, Ricardo Martinez. The special had said that besides telling Selena he would help expand her business in fashion and performing a possible liposuction procedure on her, their relationship became intimate.
Although that was cleared as a wrong assumption during the murder trial, Saldívar had said in 2006 that when she had killed Selena, the singer was pregnant. Martinez, in 2012, had admitted that at the time of the singer's death, he was in a relationship with her, but Selena's family are certain those claims are not true. There is also written material on his possible affair with the biographies written about the singer, with many revealing that the singer was to run away with Martinez before she had died.
They had found a packed suitcase and a work permit for Mexico in the singer's hotel room. Another report revealed that while the singer had climbed to the heights of stardom with her musical talent and fashion sense, she was also accused of allegedly firing employees for personal reasons, not professional ones.
At the height of her career at 23, in 1995 Selena was shot by Saldívar who was not only the former manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques but also Selena's friend. Reports indicate that the shooting took place after it was revealed that Selena's killer had embezzled $30,000 plus using the fan club as a front. She had also forged the singer's signature on checks.
Saldívar had told Selena to meet her alone at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi so she could bring over business documents. It was also reported that witnesses at the hotel claimed that the singer told Saldívar that she was no longer trusted, and that's when Saldívar had taken the fatal shot. Selena succumbed to her injuries after the bullet had torn an artery leading to heavy bleeding and a cardiac arrest.
'Selena: The Series' premieres on Netflix on December 4, 2020. Watch the trailer below.