Jennifer Lopez opened up about the late singer Selena Quintanilla, who passed away 20 years ago today, and how she is still remembered so many years later.
Selena Quintanilla-Perez was shot and killed on March 31, 1995 just two weeks before her 24th birthday and two years later, a movie about her life was released starring Jennifer Lopez.
According to Billboard, Quintanilla pushed forward the genre of Tejano music with five singles that went to the number one spot and her final album, Dreaming Of You, reached number 1 on Billboard’s 200 list.
Lopez spoke to Billboard about the legendary singer and why she thought that she was still so loved after so much time has passed. She stated it was through “the grace with which she handled the business, the grace with which she handled her life, the humor.”
She also described looking at tapes of Selena when she first got the role. While watching the film, the tape was cut off and she was hit with a realization that it was just like Selena’s death cutting her off. “This amazing, beautiful spirit, full of joy and music and so much feeling, was just cut off in the middle of being.” Lopez also said there is no chance another Selena could come along.
The Associated Press reported that while Quintanilla-Perez’s family does not commemorate the anniversary as they don’t celebrate birthdays or holidays as Jehovah’s Witnesses, her father Abraham stated he was “happy that, today, people remember Selena more than ever.”
Her family will be holding a festival, Festival de la Flor, in Selena’s honor on April 17 through 18 and will include her brother’s band, A.B. and the Kumbia King All Stars, and her widow, Chris Perez, among other artists.
Image courtesy of INFphoto.com