Almost 30 years on from her murder that sent shockwaves across the music world, Selena Quintanilla’s legacy continues to capture the adoration of millions. Even in her short 23 years of life, Selena established herself as the ‘Queen of Tejano Music,’ influencing contemporary artists from Beyoncé to Selena Gomez, who is named after the star.
As shown by the new documentary series, Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, Selena’s life and death still fascinates the public, as her killer, Yolanda Saldívar, approaches eligibility for parole next year. One person who has remained mostly out of the spotlight, however, is Selena’s husband and widower, Chris Pérez. While Selena’s family, her father especially, have played a role in shaping her posthumous legacy, from previously unreleased music to the biopic Selena (1997), Pérez had taken a step back from public life.
Who is Chris Pérez?
Christopher Gilbert Pérez (born 1969), similarly to his future wife, was born and raised in Texas in a Mexican-American family. A fan of classic rock and metal, Pérez reluctantly joined his cousin’s Tejano bad, although later expressed a dislike for the genre in his early years. However, his talent as a guitarist caught the attention of the band Selena y Los Dinos in 1989, when they had a new spot opening, after the departure of their guitar player, Roger Garcia.
According to Pérez, he and Selena quickly hit it off, but tried to push down their romantic feelings, as to not upset Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., and the wholesome public image he had helped create for her. After Selena’s father was informed of the relationship by her sister Suzette, Pérez was fired by Abraham. Selena tracked down Chris after he had moved back in with his family in 1992, and quickly eloped, before Pérez ultimately reconciled with Abraham and re-joining Selena y Los Dinos. Selena then changed her legal name to Selena Quintanilla Pérez.
Chris was familiar with Yolanda Saldívar as the manager of Selena’s fan club and several of her boutiques. After it was discovered in early 1995 that Yolanda had embezzled more than $60,000 of funds from boutiques from fans meant to purchase merchandise, Saldívar was fired and asked to stay away from Selena. Selena, however, agreed to meet with Yolanda on March 31 at the Days Inn Motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, in order to obtain missing financial records and merchandise. Pérez waited in the car outside the hotel for his wife, as it was decided Selena would meet with Yolanda alone.
After an unsuccessful return of said documents and an audible argument, Selena was fatally shot in the back by Saldívar while attempting to flee, after Yolanda pointed a gun at her. Selena escaped to the lobby where staff called emergency services, but died in hospital later that day due substantial blood loss.
After Selena’s murder, Chris withdrew from the spotlight, developing depression and substance abuse issues from his regrets and survivor’s guilt regarding Yolanda’s role in his wife’s death. In the years following, he formed the Chris Pérez Band and married Venessa Villanueva, marrying in 2001 and having two children before divorcing in 2008. While Chris Pérez Band won a Best Latin Rock album in 2000, Chris has remained out of the spotlight, rarely giving interviews or engaging in much promotion of his musical endeavors.
He has, however, paid tribute to his late wife in his own way, dedicating his 1999 song “Best I Can” to Selena, as well as releasing his own memoir, To Selena, with Love. Pérez was not involved in Selena’s 1997 biopic or the Netflix series depicting her life, both of which were produced by Selena’s family.
Pérez had planned to produce a TV series based on his own memoir, but those plans were quickly thwarted in 2016 after Selena’s family, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. in particular, filed legal action to prevent the project from moving forward. The legal dispute argued that Abraham had exclusive rights to his daughter’s name, music, image, and ultimately held the life rights in regard to its portrayal on screen.
The lawsuit was jointly dismissed by both Quintanilla and Pérez in 2021. “Good news! I have amicably resolved my legal dispute with the Quintanilla family,” Chris wrote on Twitter at the time. “Now that these issues are behind us, going forward, my hope, and the hope of the Quintanilla family, is for us to work together to continue to honor and celebrate the legacy of Selena.”
In 2023, Pérez posed for photos with Suzette and Abraham Quintanilla at their office at Q productions, the company that holds Selena’s life rights, sharing the post with his followers on Instagram.
“Made a drive to Corpus today. Guess where I ended up?” Chris wrote in the caption “It was so good to see everyone and see the amazing operations of Q. Productions but, more importantly, catching up with Suzette and Abraham. Can’t wait to come back and visit with the fam! Good times!”
Pérez’s post seemingly marks the beginning of a new chapter for Selena’s family — one where they are seemingly all united on one front, perhaps for the first time since her tragic death three decades ago.