Selena Quintanilla

Selena Quintanilla, better known as simply Selena, was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer often referred to as the Queen of Tejano music who was tragically killed in 1995. Selena was born on April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas. Selena's father discovered her stunning singing talent when she was only nine years old and formed a band with Selena and her siblings called Los Dinos. Selena's big break came in 1987 when she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Entertainer of the Year at the age of 15. Her album "Entre a Mi Mundo" (1992) went all the way to number one on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart and remained there for 19 nonconsecutive weeks. In 1992, Selena branched out from music, launching her own clothing line, as well as marrying her longtime bandmate, guitarist Chris Perez. In 1994, she was nominated for and won her first Grammy for Best Mexican-American album, "Selena Live!" Her life came to a tragic end on March 31, 1995 when Selena was murdered by the president of her own fan club. Her posthumous album, "Dreaming of You" (1995), debuted atop the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latin artist to accomplish this feat. In 1997, Warner Bros. released the biopic "Selena" starring Jennifer Lopez as the singer.