This isn’t the first time the story of Selena’s epic rise to fame—and untimely demise in 1995—have been put to film. While the titular role in Selena: The Series will be taken on by Twilight and The Walking Dead star, Christian Serratos, Jennifer Lopez delivered her Hollywood-breakout performance way back in 1997 when she portrayed the “Tejano Madonna” in the critically acclaimed feature film, Selena. Because Selena’s saga has been out of the public eye for a while, here’s everything you need to know about the singer, her tragic murder and what the two-part series will reveal.
Who was Selena?
Born in Texas in 1971, Selena revealed her musical talents at a young age; her father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. once recalled hearing her sing at the age of 6 and thinking that “her timing, her pitch were perfect.” By the time she was 9, Selena was fronting a Tejano band that included her older brother and sister. In 1987, a then-15-year-old Selena catapulted to further stardom when she won Female Vocalist and Performer of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards. Two years later, her debut solo album Selena became her first chart success. She’d go on to release four more studio albums, including Dreaming of You, which arrived less than four months after her death. Dreaming of You debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, becoming the first predominantly Spanish-language LP to achieve that feat.
How and when did Selena die?
Selena was fatally struck by a single bullet in a motel room in Corpus Christi, Texas, March 31, 1995.
How old was Selena when she died?
Tragically, Selena was only 23 years old when she was murdered.
Who shot Selena and why?
Yolanda Saldívar. Earlier that month, Selena and her family had discovered that Saldívar, who served as president of Selena’s fan club and manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques in south Texas, had been embezzling money from Selena’s empire; Saldívar had lured Selena to the motel by promising to finally turn over relevant financial documents. During an argument, Selena discovered that Saldívar had a gun in her purse. As Selena tried to flee, Saldívar shot her in the back. Selena ran to the motel lobby for help, but lost massive amounts of blood and was declared dead less than two hours later at Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital. A motel clerk later said at Saldívar’s murder trial that Selena’s last words were, “Yolanda… [Room] 158.”
Will Selena’s death be shown in Selena: The Series?
Yes. The tragic moment takes place in Part 2, but the actual shooting was not shown on-screen. What we see instead is Selena defending Yolanda to her father, even after he proves she’s stealing money from them. When Yolanda calls Selena saying something terrible had happened to her in Mexico, Selena follows her to a motel. Then, the point of view switches to that of a hospitality worker cleaning another room. Off-camera, we hear a gunshot. We don’t see the shooting, the argument that caused it or Selena running out of the room to get help. When we get back to Selena, she’s on a gurney being transported to the hospital. “I think it was very important to everyone to only show what was necessary. I think that’s the respectful thing to do,” Serratos told Variety. “This isn’t the story of a tragedy; it’s the story of a wonderful, beautiful woman and I think watching it, knowing what happens, you’re already hit with emotion so it doesn’t need to be gratuitous.”
How to watch Selena: The Series Part 2
The first and second parts of Selena: The Series are available to stream on Netflix. Next, our Latinx culture guide has 20 TV shows, documentaries, movies, TED Talks and books to add to your list.
