(Natalia Agatte / For De Los)

March 31, 2025 12:37 PM PT

On March 31, 1995, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was gunned down inside a motel room at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, by Yolanda Saldivar, a former trusted employee accused of embezzlement.

In the 30 years since her tragic death, the Tejano queen’s star has never shone brighter. Selena has all but become a saint for millions of Latinos, a totem for modern American Latinidad. Her music — a mixture of genres that ranged from Tejano, música Mexicana, pop and dance — inspired a new generation of artists to embrace biculturalism

“She broke barriers,” pop singer Becky G told De Los. “She took our music to places we never thought in our wildest dreams it would reach. She showed younger generations, including myself, that we could be onstage one day too.”

In celebration of the Tejano queen, the De Los team looks back at Selena’s ongoing impact and legacy.

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