It was March 31, 1995, when the world "froze" in the news that the Selina Gidaniya Perez (but known by her first name) fell dead from a bullet of her admirer. The American singer, originally from Mexico was extremely popular and not by chance, she was given the title of "Madonna of Latin music".
Her death, a few days before the age of 24, shocked the world, while the fact that the killer was the former president of the official fan club of the singer and former nurse, Yolanda Salvidar gave a greater tragic dimension to the case. Selina started her career at the age of 9 as a "child prodigy" and later went on to become one of the most commercial Latina singers with record sales of over 60 million.
In fact, such was the cult of the Texan singer, that the then governor of Texas, George Bush A few days after her murder, she declared her birthday "Celina Day" which is still reverently celebrated by her fans, who 25 years after her death, have not forgotten her.
Celina's story, as usual in such cases, was transferred to the big screen two years later and in the face of the then rising Jennifer Lopez they found the right person to embody her. And they made a choice in the selection, since the also Latina Lopez played the undefeated singer in an exemplary way, watching her career take off. Now, her story is "revived" through his news Netflix.
Η Selina Gidaniya (as was her name) was born in Texas. Her father was Mexican and her mother half Cherokee. From the age of 3 she started singing while at the age of 9 her father formed a band with his three children, called "Selena and Los Dinos».
They gave their first performances in a family restaurant, which went bankrupt after a while. So they moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where they played music mainly on the streets, but also at weddings and other social events. However, as Selina became more and more popular, the demands became greater, with the result that her father took her away from school.
In 1985, at the age of 14, she made her debut album but her father took all the first copies. The album was re-released in 1995 as "Mis Primeras Grabaciones" (My first recordings). Her talent was unquestionable and recognition soon came.
Thus, in 1987 at the "Tejano Music Awards", Selina won the award for "Best Female Singer". And so, the way to great success was opened, while she was soon given the title of "next Gloria Stephen".
Her father was the one who moved all the threads professionally and had the first and last word in her career. In 1988, the young Selina met Chris Perez, whom her father approved to join the family band, but she had great objections to the love that was born between the two young people. And Selina may not have gone against her father's wishes, but in his refusal to marry Perez, she was stubborn and finally managed to give his approval for the marriage.
So, on April 2, 1992, Celina and Chris were married in Texas. The successes followed one another and Selina gained more and more fans. And somewhere there a nurse named Yolanda Saldivar suggested to Celina's father to open a fan club. Her proposal was accepted and since the idea was hers, he anointed her director.
It was in early 1995 that the Quintanias discovered that Yolanda Saldivar was stealing money from the club's coffers, which she managed. And they fired her with summary proceedings. Three weeks later, Celina and Saldivar arranged to meet at the Days Inn Hotel in Corpus Christi to get the financial records that Salvivar had denied she had.
But Yolanda did not bring them because -as she claimed- she was raped in Mexico. So Selina took her to a local hospital where after none of the tests showed any findings of rape and consequently did not confirm her allegations.
When they returned to the hotel, Selina demanded the financial records again. Then Saldivar took a gun out of her bag and marked it. The young singer tried to escape but did not succeed because Yolanda shot her in the right shoulder. Severely injured, Selina ran to the lobby for help. There, he collapsed while the officer called the police. What's worse is that her killer kept looking for her and calling her a "bitch".
Selina died at the hospital where she was taken due to heavy blood loss at 01:05 a.m. 31 March of 1995, sixteen days before her 24th birthday.
Saldivar's trial monopolized public interest, and although television cameras were banned inside the courtroom, television crews were losing out in court. After all, Celina's murder had caused not only grief, but also anger, especially in the Latin American community of Texas, which was found outside the court.
With banners and voices, the enraged crowd demanded the conviction of the murderer. Saldivar, although she claimed that the death of the singer was an accident and that the gun fired on the fight they had, the court was not convinced. He was eventually convicted and is expected to be released in March 2025. Today, he is 60 years old.
Η Jenifer Lopez she ran from audition to audition chasing her dream in the cinema. In 1995, she landed a role alongside Walesy Snipes and Woody Harrelson in "Money Train", and also starred opposite Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson.
However, the role that was to change her life forever and launch her career was that of Selina in the film of the same name. The producers in the face of the also young Latina, Lopez who grew up in the slums of the Bronx with a penchant for music, found the ideal protagonist. In addition, externally she had several similarities with the undefeated singer.
Thus, in 1997, she was anointed the protagonist of the biographical film, receiving rave reviews. In fact, Lopez was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. After the movie, her shares skyrocketed and the doors of Hollywood opened wide for her.
In fact, her next role after "Selina" was in the movie "Out Of Sight" alongside George Clooney. In fact, the pay she got for the role was high, declaring her the highest paid Latina actress in Hollywood history.
The news that Celina's life is coming as a series on Netflix excited Lopez, who does not forget how crucial that role was for her career.
