Abraham Quintanilla, the father of musical icon Selena, has died, according to an announcement made by his family on social media today.
A.B. Quintanilla III shared the news about his father's death. "It's with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today," he wrote in an Instagram post.
Abraham Quintanilla was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He himself was part of a musical group known as Los Dinos, starting in the late 1950s.
Quintanilla also founded and managed the group Selena y Los Dinos. He was largely responsible for helping launch Selena's career, often serving as spokesperson for the band. His efforts and those of the group helped them achieve recognition and music industry accolades.
When Selena was murdered in 1995, Quintanilla remained a strong and available spokesperson, allowing her legacy to continue to grow beyond even what the musical songstress, performer and fashion designer achieved in life.
Her life and career are also depicted in the 1995 biopic Selena, directed by Gregory Nava. Jennifer Lopez played the part of Selena and Edward James Olmos was cast in the role of Abraham Quintanilla.
The film illustrates the ways the family dedicated their collective talents to their particular brand of music—one that transcended genres, even as Selena became the peerless "Queen of Tejano."
The film also shows the ways in which Abraham Quintanilla was a single-minded advocate for his children—Selena, Suzette and A.B.— as well as Selena's husband Chris Perez and others in the band—having himself experienced the challenges of being a Mexican American in the music industry during the late 1950s through the early 1970s.
Quintanilla was also recently featured in the Netflix documentary series, Selena Y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy.
Abraham Quintanilla was 86 years old. The family has not shared the cause of death.
Copyright 2025 KSTX News
