Selena Quintanilla’s Father Abraham Quintanilla Passes Away at 86
Abraham Quintanilla, the father of the deceased vocalist Selena Quintanilla, has passed away at the age of 86.
On Saturday, December 13, Abraham “A.B.” Isaac Quintanilla, the brother of the late singer, announced his father's passing on Instagram, stating, “It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today….” The post also included a picture of Abraham's son with his father, who was wearing rose-tinted glasses.
Details regarding the exact cause of death have not been disclosed to the public.
Selena's father wed her mother, Marcella Quintanilla, in June 1963. Together, they had three children: their well-known daughter Selena, A.B., and another daughter named Suzette.
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As Selena's musical career began to flourish, Abraham assumed the position of her manager. Her ascent in music involved the entire family, with A.B. on bass guitar and Suzette on drums in her band.
In 2021, Abraham provided 3News with portions of his autobiography, titled A Father’s Dream: My Family’s Journey in Music. He mentioned to the news outlet that the book contains "a lot of things in there the public wants to know" because "there’s always been, and now it’s grown even more curiosity about Selena.”
He continued, explaining that “people have sometimes the wrong image of musicians” and "forget one thing: that being involved in music is also a business, and for me it was a business, it became a business.”
When discussing the start of Selena's career, Abraham pondered the family's experience. He stated that "At first it was a dream and then within time it became a reality because Selena became one of the leading female artists in the world.”
Selena lost her life at age 23 in Corpus Christi, Texas, when she was fatally shot by her former associate and friend Yolanda Saldívar. Saldívar had previously faced allegations of stealing funds from the singer's business in the months leading up to the incident.
Despite Saldívar's assertion that the shooting was accidental, medical examiners determined the death to be a homicide.
Us Weekly secured the initial 1995 report which stated Selena succumbed to a gunshot wound in her lower right shoulder. The medical examiner also verified that Selena passed away from “exsanguinating internal and external [bleeding] due to [a] perforating gunshot wound.”
“It is my opinion that Selena Quintanilla Pérez, a 23-year-old woman, came to her death as a result of an exsanguinating internal and external hemorrhage, in other words massive bleeding, due to a perforating gunshot wound of the thorax (chest),” coroner Lloyd White wrote.
In October 1995, Saldívar faced charges of first-degree murder and was subsequently found guilty. Although she applied for parole in December 2024, she remained incarcerated as of November 2025. Saldívar has been serving her sentence at a women's correctional facility in Gatesville, Texas.
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According to a statement from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles obtained by Us, "It was the parole panel’s determination to deny parole to Yolanda Saldívar and set her next parole review for March 2030.”
The Quintanilla family issued a statement on Instagram at the time, asserting that “While nothing can bring Selena back, this decision reaffirms that justice continues to stand for the beautiful life that was taken from us and from millions of fans around the world far too soon.” They added that “Selena’s legacy is one of love, music, and inspiration. She lived with joy, gave selflessly, and continues to uplift generations with her voice and her spirit.”
