Record producer Abraham Quintanilla Jr., the father of late Tejano music star Selena and the architect of her career, has died, his family said Saturday. He was 86.
His son, Abraham Quintanilla III, who goes by A.B., announced the sad news with a post on Instagram alongside an image of his father. He also included the tune “Cien Años” by Pedro Infante.
“It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my dad passed away today,” he wrote.
Few other details, including a cause of death, were provided. The medical examiner’s office in Quintanilla’s hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, told TMZ it was notified of his death and did not accept jurisdiction, meaning there’s no suspicion of trauma, foul play or anything that would otherwise prompt an investigation.
Born Feb. 20, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Quintanilla first pursued his own music career, performing with Los Dinos before exiting the band in the late 1960s to focus on raising a family.
On June 8, 1963, he married Marcella Samora, with whom he shared three children: A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla, as well as Selena.
A portrait shot of Selena
Pam Francis/The Life Images Collection/Getty Images Selena was the youngest child of the Quintanilla family that started her career in 1980 with her two older siblings in the Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. Two years later, they were recording professionally and by 1986, Selena rose to fame after winning the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year (an award she would win a total of 11 times).
Upon realizing his youngest daughter’s singing talents, Quintanilla created Selena y Los Dinos, a family band that included A.B. playing bass and Suzette on the drums, along with Selena’s husband, Chris Pérez, on guitar.
By the late 1980s, Selena y Los Dinos had carved out a name for itself in Tejano music, clearing the way for Selena to become one of the most popular names in the genre.
Her career was tragically cut short in March 1995, when Selena was murdered by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar. She was just 23 years old at the time.
Saldívar, meanwhile, remains in prison on a life sentence and was recently denied parole.
Following her death, Quintanilla, who was also the manager of the band, worked to keep his daughter’s legacy alive. He served as an executive producer on the 1997 biographical film “Selena,” in which he was portrayed by Edward James Olmos. It starred Jennifer Lopez as his superstar daughter.
Back in November, Netflix also released the documentary “Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy,” which included never-before-seen home videos and archival footage.
The family previously worked with the streamer for “Selena: The Series,” a biographical drama based on Selena’s life.
