- - Selena’s Family Says She Never ‘Understood the Magnitude of Her Talent’ Before Her Death: ‘Robbed of Her Life’ (Exclusive)

Lizzie Hyman, Alexandra SchonfeldNovember 14, 2025 at 1:00 AM

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AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, John Everett

Selena in 1995. -

Selena Quintanilla is being celebrated in the upcoming Netflix documentary Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy, which includes archival footage and interviews with her family and bandmates

Dubbed the "Queen of Tejano Music," Selena, who was shot and killed at age 23, became one of the most influential Mexican American singers of the late 20th century

“She never took herself too seriously, and you could feel the realness of who she was. I hope her story reminds someone that you can dream," her sister Suzette tells PEOPLE

In a sit-down interview with PEOPLE for the latest issue, Chris Pérez, husband of the late singer-songwriter Selena Quintanilla, opens up about a poignant dream he recently had. “It was Selena, her sister Suzette and me, and we were in a backstage dressing room,” Pérez, 56, recalls. “They were in one corner of the room laughing so hard — the way only the two of them could — and it was almost like nothing had happened. I wanted her to talk to me, but I didn’t dream long enough for her to come back over here.”

For Pérez, dreaming of Selena — something he admits happens from time to time — offers a brief escape from the painful reality that Selena, who was shot and killed in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Mar. 31, 1995, has been gone for 30 years. Dubbed the "Queen of Tejano Music," Selena, who died at age 23, became one of the most influential Mexican American singers of the late 20th century.

Now she’s being celebrated in a new Netflix documentary, Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy, which debuts on Nov. 17. The film weaves together archival footage of the performer with new interviews from her family and bandmates, ensuring her spirit will continue to inspire new generations.

Quintanilla Family/Netflix

Selena performing at home with her father, sister and brother ca 1977.

“Selena was about 6 years old when my father discovered she could actually hold a tune,” Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s older sister, tells PEOPLE. “My brother was learning the bass, I was on the drums, and my dad heard Selena singing and was like, ‘Whoa.’ It caught his attention.” Despite their initial reluctance, the siblings practiced daily, forming their band Selena y Los Dinos and performing at their father’s restaurant. After the family relocated to Corpus Christi and began performing Tejano music, their career took off. “We worked so hard,” Selena says in a resurfaced interview featured in the film. “We went through a lot to get where we are today.”

Touring in their self-renovated bus, “Big Bertha,” the family juggled multiple roles and grew even closer. “My brother began producing the music. I was in charge of merch, and Selena did most of the promotion,” Suzette, now 58, recalls. Promotion for the band also meant connecting with its broader Mexican audience by becoming fluent in Spanish. “It was important to Selena. We were proud of who we were and who we are as Mexican Americans,” says Suzette. Adds the film’s director, Isabel Castro: “She is a seminal symbol for me of what it means to be Mexican American.”

As the band’s success grew, so did Selena’s love life. Pérez, the group’s guitarist, fell in love with the singer and the two married when she was 21 and he was 22, despite her family’s wishes. “As time has gone on, you romanticize it even more,” he says. “The love story is a big part of her legacy. My most prized possessions are her love letters.”

AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Dave Einsel

Selena performs in 1993 at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Selena’s star continued to rise in 1994 when she won the Grammy for Best Mexican American Album for Live — the first Tejano female artist to do so. Yet, she remained grounded. “I don’t think she truly understood the magnitude of her talent,” says Suzette. “It was a combination of my parents keeping us grounded and her never letting it go to her head,” Castro adds. She didn’t understand how massive an impact she had on Latino representation. She paved the way for things we now take for granted. She was a pioneer in breaking down boundaries.”

Tragically, Selena’s life and career were cut short in 1995 when her employee Yolanda Saldívar shot and killed her after being confronted about embezzling money from her fan club and businesses. Saldívar, now 65, remains in prison, serving a life sentence. “She was robbed of her life,” Suzette says of her sister. “It was taken from her.”

Three decades later, Selena’s family continues to honor her memory through Q Productions, the studio where she recorded much of her music, and the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi. “It’s really cool to see a younger generation coming in and embracing her and hearing what she means to them,” Suzette says. “It’s the highlight of my day.”

Ari Michelson

Selena's family in 2019. From left: brother A.B., mother Marcella, father Abraham and sister Suzette.

The Grammy Museum will also celebrate her enduring influence with a new exhibit, “Selena: From Texas to the World,” running from Jan. 15 to Mar. 16 in Los Angeles, featuring items donated by the Quintanilla family. “She found humor in everything, even when things were overwhelming,” Suzette reflects. “She never took herself too seriously, and you could feel the realness of who she was. I hope her story reminds someone that you can dream. This started off as a wild dream — and look what it represents now, so many years later."

Selena y Los Dinos premieres on Netflix Nov. 17.

on People

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