The Queen Is Dead: Black Friday!

The terrible news came in the same manner it always does: over the phone. My friend David Bennett, a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, called shortly after noon. "A bullet has hit Selena. in a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi. The perpetrator is seated in a pickup truck in the parking lot, gripping a gun to her head. I waited for Bennett to deliver the punch line—he is a veritable fountain of horrible jokes about contemporary affairs. After all, it was March 31, the day before April Fool's Day. When he returned a few minutes later, though, there was no punch line: "She is dead." She died at Memorial Medical Center at 1:05 p.m.

Even though I had only met her once, it felt like a sudden loss of a dear friend or relative. Grammy Award-winning singer Selena Quintanilla Perez, 23, is widely regarded as the undisputed queen of Tejano music—a Texas specialty that is currently experiencing unparalleled global and national fame. I had spoken with her for a Texas Monthly feature aboard a tour bus in Austin a year prior. She sat next to her father, Abraham, the band's manager, and mother, Marcella, who frequently traveled with her band, Los Dinos, for the majority of the interview. Her lead guitarist and spouse, Chris Perez, dropped by for a visit at one time. Selena's brother A.B., who plays bass, is the band's primary composer, producer, and drummer, and sister Suzette, who is the drummer, would join her onstage at midnight.

When I learned of Selena's passing, my thoughts turned to her family. Even though she wore provocative clothing on stage, I thought she was a good girl—not the kind of person who would be involved in a shooting, especially one that involved a jealous woman in a crime of passion—after meeting her in person and seeing her without makeup or in one of her sexy costumes.

Source: https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/the-queen-is-dead/