Texas-born singer Selena Quintanilla Perez had found success singing in Spanish and was about to release her first English-language album when she was killed in 1995.
Pam Francis/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Selena's sold-out performance at the Houston Astrodome during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on February 26, 1995, was one of her last shows.
John Everett/Houston Chronicle/AP
Selena stood by as her fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, spoke at a 1994 Tejano Music Awards party in San Antonio, Texas. Saldivar was later convicted of first-degree murder for shooting and killing Selena in a Corpus Christi motel room on March 31, 1995.
AP
Selena's mother, Marcela Quintanilla; husband, Chris Perez; and sister, Suzette, lay roses on her casket at her funeral.
Barbara Laing/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Music was the family business for Selena and her family. From left are her husband, Chris Perez, who played guitar in her band; her parents, Marcela and Abraham Quintanilla (her father created the band and was its manager); and siblings and bandmates A.B. (who played bass) and Suzette (who played drums).
Barbara Laing/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images
Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, taught his children how to sing and play Tejano music. He was also their band manager. He's shown in 2011 at the Corpus Christi studio where she made her last recording.
Paul Iverson/AP
Jennifer Lopez starred in the 1997 movie "Selena," earning a Golden Globe nomination for the performance that catapulted her into stardom.
