Abraham Quintanilla Jr., the patriarch who helped shape the career of his daughter, Tejano superstar Selena, and remained the steward of her legacy for three decades after her death, has died. He was 86.
The news was announced Saturday morning by his son, A.B. Quintanilla III, who shared a photo of his father on Instagram and wrote, “It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today.” A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Born Feb. 22, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Quintanilla was raised in a Mexican American family and began his own music career as a teenager. In 1956, he joined the vocal group the Dinos, gaining early experience as a singer and songwriter before leaving the band in the late 1960s to focus on raising a family.
That decision would ultimately redirect the course of Latin music history. After recognizing the vocal talent of his youngest child, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, Abraham formed Selena y Los Dinos, a family band that also included siblings A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla. Serving as manager and guiding force, Quintanilla navigated the challenges of the male-dominated Tejano circuit, booking shows, shaping the group’s image and overseeing every aspect of their development.
By the late 1980s, Selena y Los Dinos had become a dominant force in Tejano music, paving the way for Selena’s crossover success and her emergence as one of the most celebrated Latin music artists of all time.
Quintanilla’s life — and the music world — would be shattered on March 31, 1995, when Selena was murdered at age 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, the former president of Selena’s fan club and manager of her boutiques, “Selena Etc.” In the aftermath of the tragedy, Quintanilla became the chief guardian of Selena’s artistic and cultural legacy.
He served as an executive producer on the 1997 biographical film “Selena,” in which he was portrayed by Edward James Olmos, and his daughter was played by Jennifer Lopez. Abraham remained closely involved in virtually every album release, documentary and tribute project connected to his daughter’s life and work. In the 2020 Netflix miniseries “Selena: The Series,” Quintanilla was portrayed by Ricardo Chavira.
In November of this year, Netflix released a new documentary about Selena Quintanilla called “Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy,” an intimate look into her rise with her family band, using never-before-seen home videos and family archives.
Soon after Selena’s death, Quintanilla and his family founded the Selena Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to helping children in crisis. Through his record company, Q-Productions, he continued to produce and mentor new talent in music and film.
In 2021, Quintanilla released his memoir, “A Father’s Dream: My Family’s Journey in Music.”
Though frequently a polarizing figure, Abraham Quintanilla remained a central architect of Selena’s rise and an unyielding advocate for her legacy.
