As Selena’s career took off, she released two hit albums: “Ven Conmigo” featuring the hit song “Baila Esta Cumbia” in 1990 and “Entre A Mi Mundo” featuring the hit songs “La Carcacha” and “Como La Flor” in 1992. The great success of these albums completed Selena’s transformation from “unknown” to “star.” Then a show featuring Selena, La Mafia, and Emilia Navaira at the Summit in Houston in the summer of 1991 drew more than 9,000 people. Next followed “Selena Live” in 1993, which gave the young singer her first Grammy along with three Tejano Awards, opening the door to mainstream pop.

After four years of attempts, Jose Behar, using Selena’s soaring popularity and sales to their advantage, finally convinced EMI’s pop division to give her the crossover chance she had been dreaming of. Prior to 1993, BeharNancy Brennan, Vice President of Artist and Repertoire summarized, “All he [Behar] ever talked about was Selena. He was like a broken record, ‘Selena, Selena…’” [13] had faced repeated setbacks and had to start over each time when key executives left the company. As one EMI executive,

Brennan was exposed to Selena when she attended a Billboard Latin Music Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada to see Jon Secada, an immensely popular EMI artist. There, Selena’s opening made a lasting impression. By December 1993, Selena had been signed by EMI’s SBK subsidiary to begin her crossover album, which took a year-and-a-half to produce due to the tedious effort of finding the right songs and producers.

The 1994 “Amor Prohibido” success also added to the crossover delays since Selena was requested to appear everywhere. Nancy Brennan“This is the first time I have ever made a debut album by an artist who was too busy to record for me. How can you tell someone, ‘No I don’t want you to play the Astrodome for 60,000 people; I want you to work on your record.’ Everyone wants her.” [14] recounted one such episode when had been forced to postpone a recording session:

The Amor Prohibido album featuring four #1 Latin Singles (title track “Amor Prohibido” “No Me Queda Mas,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” and “Fotos Y Recuerdos” launched Selena’s greatest year to date. When Amor Prohibido came out, it promptly replaced Gloria Estefan’s “Mi Tierra” at #1 on Billboard’s Latin Tracks Charts and even made the top 200 on Billboard’s Pop Charts.

It led to six awards at the Tejano Music Awards ceremony attended by more than 45,000 people - “Female Entertainer of the Year,” “Female Vocalist of the Year,” “Orchestra Album of the Year,” Record of the Year,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” “Song of the Year,” and “Techno Cumbia, “Crossover Song of the Year.” More than 400,000 copies had sold at the time of Selena’s death less than a year after its release.

Selena also realized two more dreams in 1994. First, she opened a boutique/salon in Corpus Christi called “Selena Etc”. Since childhood, Selena had dreamed of designing clothing and jewelry.

Second, she played a bit-role “Don Juan DeMarco,” a film released in early 1995 that starred Marlon BrandoJohnny Depp and offered the potential of leading to greater and perhaps leading roles. Acting had been a recent dream of Selena’s. and

With the impending release of Selena’s cross-over album, “Dreaming of You,” her wide-spread fame and rocketing demand, a million-dollar record deal, a Grammy Award, endorsements from sponsors like Coca ColaSelena’s meteoric career could only rise higher. By this time, Selena“one of the most successful Latin entertainers in the world” by Hispanic Business magazine. and her own line of clothing, it seemed like had been named

The sold-out Astrodome Concert for the Houston Livestock and Rodeo February 1995 with a crowd of 61,000+, at the time, the largest in Astrodome history only strengthened this belief. Yet ironically and almost prophetically, when Selena was asked to speculate on her future during a July 1994 interview, she modestly stated, “I just hope still to be alive, hopefully singing still and later on, maybe 10 years yonder, I hope to have a family by then.” [15]

Four years earlier, Yolanda Saldivar, a self-professed “biggest Selena fan” had come into Selena’s life after persistently requesting to start a fan club in her honor. Although Abraham had initially refused, he eventually gave in when Saldivar agreed to make it “not-for-profit” and donate leftover proceeds to charity. Eventually Yolanda’s relationship with the Quintanillas deepened when Selena named her Operations Manager to handle sales, customer-relations, and Selena Etc.’s finances.

At the time, no one saw Saldivar’s dark obsession. Furthermore, no one had been aware that Saldivar had failed to pay off a $5300 student loan, left her nursing job under suspicious circumstances, been turned down by , a prominent, young Tejano singer to form a “Shelly Lares Fan Club,” and been accused of stealing $9200 from a dermatologist she had worked for.

However, by early 1995, Abraham Quintanilla began to receive complaints from upset fans who reported that they were not receiving the Selena packets, consisting of a T-shirt, baseball cap, cassette/CD, and autographed poster they had paid for in membership dues. Money also began to go missing from the boutiques. With their suspicions growing, the Quintanillas conducted an investigation and discovered that Saldivar had written four checks, including one to herself for $3000 from the Fan Club’s books. Selena’s father then angrily confronted Saldivar who claimed she could explain everything if given some time.

Afterwards, Saldivar purchased a .38 caliber gun.

Yet despite the mounting evidence, Selena sent Saldivar to Mexico to assist with opening a Selena Etc. boutique in Monterrey. Hopeful that they could remain friends after the confrontation, Selena was willing to give Saldivar the chance she had requested - to “prove her innocence and find the missing papers”.

Then while in Mexico, Saldivar phoned Selena to hysterically report that the car containing the documents had been stolen and that she had been raped. Yet Saldivar refused medical care when she returned to Corpus Christi. Instead, she requested that Saldivar meet her at the Day’s Inn motel in Corpus Christi. When Selena and her husband arrived, Saldivar failed to produce any documents.

Afterwards, Saldivar called Selena around midnight on the morning of March 31, 1995 claiming that she was suffering from internal bleeding caused by the rape. During the phone conversation, Saldivar pleaded for Selena to return alone, which she did in the morning.

Once there, Selena drove Saldivar to the hospital where she retracted her rape story. Afterwards Selena drove her back to the motel where they both argued after, it is believed, Selena fired her and planned to return a Faberge Egg ring funded by all of the boutique employees, which she had been misled into believing that Saldivar had generously given to her as a gift.

Upon hearing the argument and a gunshot, a maid cleaning a nearby room looked out the window and saw Selena clutching her chest, screaming for help as she fled from Saldivar who clutched the .38 in her right hand, aimed and fired again.

When Selena made it to the lobby, she collapsed, bleeding profusely from her wound. Although the desk clerk locked the door and called 911 for an ambulance, it was too late. Efforts to revive Selena, despite a blood infusion and electric shocks that briefly restarted her heart, were to no avail. She was pronounced dead at 1:05 PM. Afterwards, tens of thousands filed past Selena’s open coffin to pay their last respects as her body lay in state.

Today, nearly 12 years after her death, Selena’s legacy lives on. Despite the tragedy, Selena made the crossover into mainstream and is an icon whose spirit still lives. Reminder’s of Selena’s warmth, generosity, and indelible beauty are all around Corpus Christi. Mirador de la Flor stands along the Gulf shore while a museum dedicated to her career stands only a few miles away.

Each year thousands visit Selena’s grave, Mirador de la Flor, and the Selena Museum. Selena memorabilia remains popular with rare autographs going at times for more than a $1000. With her continued fame and popularity, it would not be surprising if the United States Post Office eventually issued a stamp to honor Selena’s enduring legacy.

References:

[1] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[2] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[3] Joe Nick Patoski. Selena: Como La Flor. (Boulevard Books: New York, 1996) 124.
[4] Clint Richmond. Selena! The Phenomenal Life and Tragic Death of the Tejano Music Queen. (Pocket Books: New York, 1995) 24.
[5] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[6] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[7] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[8] Bill Hewitt, et al. People Weekly. (Chicago, April 17, 1995) 49.
[9] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[10] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[11] Himilce Novas. Remembering Selena: A Tribute in Pictures and Words. (St. Martin’s Griffin: New York, 1995) 43-44.
[12] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[13] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[14] Rick Mitchell. Interactive Corpus Christi Caller Times Biography. (Houston Chronicle), 1995.
[15] Bruce Hagan, Producer; Joshua Kuvin, Editor, et. al. Dateline NBC - Obsession. (April 7, 1995).

The above article was written by William Sutherland.  It is used on this site with the author’s permission.

William Sutherland is a published poet and writer. He is the author of three books, “Poetry, Prayers & Haiku” (1999), “Russian Spring” (2003) and “Aaliyah Remembered: Her Life & The Person behind the Mystique” (2005) and has been published in poetry anthologies around the world. He has been featured in “Who’s Who in New Poets” (1996), “The International Who’s Who in Poetry” (2004), and is a member of the He is also a contributor to Wikipedia, the number one online encyclopedia. “International Poetry Hall of Fame.”