{"id":347139,"date":"2025-12-13T22:02:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T22:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/347139\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T22:02:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T22:02:10","slug":"father-of-latin-music-superstar-selena-was-86","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/347139\/","title":{"rendered":"Father of Latin Music Superstar Selena Was 86"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAbraham Quintanilla<\/a> Jr., the patriarch who helped shape the career of his daughter, Tejano superstar Selena<\/a>, and remained the steward of her legacy for three decades after her death, has died. He was 86.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe news was announced Saturday morning by his son, A.B. Quintanilla III, who shared a photo of his father on Instagram and wrote<\/a>, \u201cIt\u2019s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today.\u201d A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.<\/p>\n

\n\tBorn Feb. 22, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Quintanilla was raised in a Mexican American family and began his own music career as a teenager. In 1956, he joined the vocal group the Dinos, gaining early experience as a singer and songwriter before leaving the band in the late 1960s to focus on raising a family.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat decision would ultimately redirect the course of Latin music history. After recognizing the vocal talent of his youngest child, Selena Quintanilla-P\u00e9rez, Abraham formed Selena y Los Dinos, a family band that also included siblings A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla. Serving as manager and guiding force, Quintanilla navigated the challenges of the male-dominated Tejano circuit, booking shows, shaping the group\u2019s image and overseeing every aspect of their development.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy the late 1980s, Selena y Los Dinos had become a dominant force in Tejano music, paving the way for Selena\u2019s crossover success and her emergence as one of the most celebrated Latin music artists of all time.<\/p>\n

\n\tQuintanilla\u2019s life \u2014 and the music world \u2014 would be shattered on March 31, 1995, when Selena was murdered at age 23 by Yolanda Sald\u00edvar, the former president of Selena\u2019s fan club and manager of her boutiques, \u201cSelena Etc.\u201d In the aftermath of the tragedy, Quintanilla became the chief guardian of Selena\u2019s artistic and cultural legacy.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe served as an executive producer on the 1997 biographical film \u201cSelena,\u201d in which he was portrayed by Edward James Olmos, and his daughter was played by Jennifer Lopez. Abraham remained closely involved in virtually every album release, documentary and tribute project connected to his daughter\u2019s life and work. In the 2020 Netflix miniseries \u201cSelena: The Series,\u201d Quintanilla was portrayed by Ricardo Chavira.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn November of this year, Netflix released a new documentary about Selena Quintanilla called \u201cSelena y Los Dinos: A Family\u2019s Legacy,\u201d an intimate look into her rise with her family band, using never-before-seen home videos and family archives.<\/p>\n

\n\tSoon after Selena\u2019s death, Quintanilla and his family founded the Selena Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping children in crisis. Through his record company, Q-Productions, he continued to produce and mentor new talent in music and film.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2021, Quintanilla released his memoir, \u201cA Father\u2019s Dream: My Family\u2019s Journey in Music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThough frequently a polarizing figure, Abraham Quintanilla remained a central architect of Selena\u2019s rise and an unyielding advocate for her legacy.<\/p>\n