How Did Selena Quintanilla Die? The Details Behind Her Tragic Murder

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was 23 years old when she was fatally shot at a motel in March 1995

Selena Quintanilla's talent was taken from the world too soon.

The singer, known mononymously as Selena, was still reaching new heights in her music career when she died at 23 years old. The "Como La Flor" artist began performing as a child with her brother A.B. Quintanilla and sister Suzette Quintanilla in their band Selena y Los Dinos. In 1989, Selena embarked on a solo singing career and won a Grammy Award for best Mexican-American album for Selena Live! in 1993.

One of the highlights of her career was performing at the Houston Astrodome Livestock Show & Rodeo to a record-breaking audience of almost 67,000 people in February 1995. Sadly, the following month, she was murdered by her former business associate, Yolanda Saldívar, on March 31, 1995, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Related: Selena Quintanilla's Family: All About the Late Singer's Parents and Siblings

Selena's sudden death devastated the world — particularly her deeply devoted fan base. Years after thousands of fans mourned the loss, her family and her widowed husband, Chris Pérez, have kept her legacy going with annual musical tributes, a museum preserving her belongings and celebrating her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

When asked about Selena's long-lasting impact, her dad, Abraham Quintanilla, told PEOPLE that her memory continues to live through fans.

"Over the years, the new generations have discovered her and have fallen in love with her," he said in 2021. "Selena's life was cut short, but her fans have carried her throughout the years and her legacy is being passed on from generation to generation. That in itself is incredible."

Here's what to know about Selena Quintanilla's death, and the legacy she left behind.

How did Selena Quintanilla die?

Selena was fatally shot by Yolanda Saldívar, the former president of Selena's fan club and manager of the singer's clothing boutiques.

According to The New York Times, Selena and her family accused Saldívar of embezzling money from the singer's businesses during a meeting on March 2, 1995. After Saldívar was fired, she purchased a .38-caliber revolver and arranged to meet Selena at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi at the end of that month.

The purpose of their encounter was to retrieve financial records, but Saldívar ended up shooting Selena once in the lower right shoulder as she attempted to leave the room. The "Amor Prohibido" vocalist artist ran toward the lobby of the motel, with Saldívar following after her with the gun.

When Selena reached the front desk just before noon, she yelled for help and collapsed on the floor. While the Days Inn staff called for an ambulance and attempted to stop the bleeding, Saldívar returned to her room. Per eyewitness accounts, the singer identified who shot her and the motel room number before losing consciousness.

The Associated Press later reported that the hollow-point bullet damaged Selena's right shoulder, lung veins and a major artery in her collarbone. The culmination of the injuries caused "a massive ongoing blood loss," according to cardiac surgeon Dr. Louis Elkins, who was supposed to perform surgery on the artist. By the time she arrived in the emergency room, Selena was clinically brain dead.

When did Selena Quintanilla die?

Selena died at 1:05 p.m. on March 31, 1995.

Where did Selena Quintanilla die?

Selena died outside the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The motel staff called for an ambulance, which arrived on the scene in 1 minute and 55 seconds. By this point, Selena had stopped breathing, and paramedics performed CPR on her. They also applied gauze with pressure to stop the bleeding while transporting her from the Days Inn motel to the Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital.

When they arrived, doctors made efforts to save her life, including performing open heart massage and blood transfusions. Although medical staff attempted to reestablish a steady heart rate, Selena showed no sign of neurological function due to massive internal bleeding, according to the Associated Press. After about an hour, the "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" singer was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m.

How old was Selena Quintanilla when she died?

Selena was 23 years old at the time of her death. The artist was two weeks away from her birthday on April 16.

What were Selena Quintanilla's last words?

According to the Los Angeles Times, a desk clerk at the Days Inn later testified that as Selena made her way from the room where Saldívar shot her to the lobby, she was trailing blood behind her and screaming, "Help me! Help me! I've been shot!"

In the lobby, Selena collapsed and yelled at the staff, "Lock the door! She'll shoot me again!" As the motel's manager called for an ambulance, she identified Saldívar as her shooter and the room where he was staying in her last words: "Yolanda ... 158."

A short time later, Saldívar was caught in a standoff with authorities while in a pickup truck in the motel's parking lot. After more than nine hours, she surrendered to the police and FBI but declared it was an accidental shooting.

Saldívar was charged with first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty to the charges. On Oct. 23, 1995, the jury found her guilty, and she was later sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 30 years, per The New York Times.

She is currently serving her sentence at the Patrick O'Daniel Unit (formerly known as the Mountain View Unit) in Gatesville, Texas, and will become eligible for parole on March 30, 2025.

How did the public react to Selena Quintanilla's death?

Selena's death was devastating to her loved ones and fans, prompting vigils and memorials throughout Texas and California, where she was most popular.

Selena's family held an open-casket viewing ahead of her funeral at the Bayfront Plaza Convention Center, per The New York Times. She was surrounded by bouquets of white roses donated by fans, and as tens of thousands of mourners walked by and paid their respects, her dad, Abraham, thanked them for coming.

Shortly after, Selena was buried at Seaside Memorial Park on April 3, 1995. During the ceremony, her husband, Chris, was spotted and afterward, family members, friends and fans laid white roses on her casket to say goodbye. Her gravesite is marked with a bronze image of the singer and her signature.

Only a few miles from Selena's burial site, a monument opened in her honor on May 25, 1997. Mirador de la Flor, which translates to Lookout of the Flower, features a motif of white roses and a life-size bronze statue of the singer leaning against a center pillar, looking over the Corpus Christi Bay.

What legacy did Selena Quintanilla leave behind?

Selena is widely regarded as one of the most influential Latin music artists of all time and as the "Queen of Tejano music." Her immense influence on the music industry remains cemented in place years after her death. She continues to inspire movies, TV shows, makeup lines, tribute events and more.

Selena was killed before the completion of her first album in both Spanish and English, Dreaming of You. It was released posthumously on July 18, 1995, and was an immediate success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album remained in the top 200 for 49 weeks. Three years later, fans could start visiting the Selena Museum, which houses her iconic wardrobe, numerous awards and other memorabilia, including her family's tour bus.

Fast forward to November 2017, Selena posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. More than 4,500 fans attended the unveiling, and former Mayor Eric Garcetti declared November 3 as "Selena Day" in Los Angeles. Selena's sister, Suzette, received it on her behalf, and at the event, Selena's mom, dad, brother and husband posed together.

During the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in March 2021, Selena was also posthumously honored with the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award. Ahead of the show, her father, Abraham, told PEOPLE his daughter "would have been very excited for this honor, just like she was when she won her Grammy back in 1994."

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