Tejano pop icon Selena Quintanilla’s father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, has died at the age of 86, his son Abraham ‘A.B.’ Quintanilla III has confirmed in a social media post
Abraham Quintanilla Jr, the father of Tejano music legend Selena, has passed away at the age of 86. Quintanilla was renowned for managing his daughter Selena, hailed as the “Queen of Tejano Music”, and her band, Selena y Los Dinos.
His son, Abraham “A.B.” Quintanilla III, announced his passing on Instagram today, December 13, writing: “It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today…” Born on February 22, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr formed his first band, the Gumdrops, when he was just 14. He later continued his musical journey with another group, the Dinos.
In 2020, A.B. told People: “There are a lot of families who think, ‘My kids are talented, they sing, they’re awesome,’ but my dad, as a musician, saw something that we didn’t.”
Quintanilla Jr spent the early 1960s serving in the army, when he met Marcella Samora. The pair got married in June 1963 while living in Washington state.
Marcella gave birth to Selena Quintanilla in April 1971. Quintanilla Jr quickly recognised her singing ability from a young age, after she began accompanying her brother A.B. when he played guitar. Selena’s sister Suzette was recruited to play drums.
Quintanilla put together a family band, Selena y Los Dinos and they signed a record deal in 1984. Within a couple of years Selena had established herself as a major voice in Tejano music.
Selena’s 1993 album Selena Live! won the Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album, while her 1994 follow-up Amor Prohibido was at the time the biggest selling Latin album of all time.
In the wake of their daughter’s death, Abraham and Marcella took care to preserve her legacy and were involved in the 1997 biopic Selena that starred Jennifer Lopez.
The family also told their story in the recent Netflix documentary Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy.
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