The Murder of Selena

She was only 23, and on the verge of superstardom. But in March, 1995, the Mexican-American singing star known as Selena was murdered by the former president of her fan club. Thousands of shocked fans mourned the death of the talented young performer who had popularized Tejano music, a fast-paced blend of Mexican folk music and American pop.

Selena, whose full name was Selena Quintanilla Perez, was by far the biggest Tejano star. Her Selena Live recording won a 1994 Grammy Award as best Mexican-American albulm. And at the beginning of 1995, she seemed close to achieving her goal of reaching a wider audience. She had recorded her first English-language albulm just before her death.

Yolanda Saldivar, the woman who killed Selena, had managed a clothing boutique owned by Selena’s family, but she was fired after being suspected of taking money from the store. On March 31, 1995, she arranged to meet Selena at a motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. When the singer arrived, Saldivar pulled out a gun and shot her. Saldivar claimed that the gun went off accidentally, but she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Selena’s album Dreaming of You was released after her death. It became the first albulm by a Latin artist to top the popular-music chart.