Abraham Quintanilla Jr., father of the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla, has passed away at the age of 86. His son, musician and producer Abraham "A.B." Quintanilla III, shared the news on Instagram this past Saturday, stating "It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today," according to ABC News. The Quintanilla family patriarch was known to quickly identify and nurture the remarkable talent of his daughter from a young age, ultimately helping to shape her into an international icon in Latin music.
Beyond being a manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. was also a musician and businessman, contributing in no small part to the blast off of Tejano music into the mainstream, as KFOX-TV reports. Texas Senator Jose Menendez recognized his vision and influence, saying, "Abraham was a visionary, and what he saw in Selena, nobody had seen before." Following Selena’s tragic murder in 1995, Quintanilla became the vigilant steward of her enduring legacy, which included the establishment of the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi.
As reported by USA Today, the younger Quintanilla siblings, Selena y Los Dinos, were also part of the musical brigade led by their father, pushing forth the Tejano sound. A recent Netflix documentary, "Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy," commemorated this journey with interviews from the family and rare home videos. Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister, felt that the documentary offered an authentic perspective: "I mean, you can't get any more real than having my mother and my father, my brother, her husband (guitarist Chris Pérez), my bandmates, and myself be a part of telling our story."
In his tribute to his father, A.B. Quintanilla reflected on the double loss of his sister and now his father, conveying the depth of his grief: "Today I feel my heart is shattered in a million pieces…" as quoted by USA Today. While specific details surrounding Quintanilla Jr.’s death have not been disclosed, his passing on A.B.'s 62nd birthday adds to the family’s history of stark losses. The patriarch's work in the origins of Selena's rise and the subsequent preservation of her memory remain indelible in the landscape of Latin music and beyond.
