Events on March 31 in history

Selena is murdered by her fan club's president Yolanda Saldivar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas after accusations of Saldivar embezzling money from Selena's fan club.

Selena Quintanilla Prez was an American singer who achieved international fame as a member of Selena y Los Dinos and for her subsequent solo career in both Spanish and English. Her father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, appointed Yolanda Saldvar president of Selena's fan club in 1991 after Saldvar had repeatedly asked permission to start one. In January 1994, Saldvar was promoted to manager of the singer's boutiques. Soon Selena's employees, fashion designer, and cousin began complaining about Saldvar's management style. In January 1995, Quintanilla Jr. began receiving telephone calls and letters from angry fans who had sent membership payments and had received nothing in return. He began investigating their complaints and found evidence that Saldvar had embezzled $60,000 from the fan club and the boutiques using forged checks. After the Quintanilla family confronted her about this, Saldvar fatally shot Selena with a .38 special revolver on the morning of March 31, 1995 at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although the healthcare team tried to revive Selena, she died of hypovolemic shock.

The Latino community was deeply affected by the news of Selena's death; some people traveled thousands of miles to visit her home, boutiques, and the crime scene, while churches with large congregations of Latinos held prayers in her name. All major television networks in the United States interrupted their regular programming to break the news. The public's reaction to Selena's death was compared to those that followed the deaths of John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, and John F. Kennedy. Some Americans who were unaware of the singer and her popularity criticized the attention she and her murder received from both the media and the Latino community. Radio personality Howard Stern mocked Selena's murder, burial, and her mourners, and criticized her music, playing her songs with gunshots in the background, causing an uproar among the Latino population. On April 12, 1995two weeks after her deaththen-Texas governor George W. Bush declared her birthday Selena Day in Texas, offending some Americans because Selena Day that year coincided with Easter.

At the time of Selena's death, Tejano music was one of the most popular Latin music subgenres in the United States. She was called the "Queen of Tejano music" and became the first Latina artist to have a predominantly Spanish-language albumDreaming of You (1995)debut and peak at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. After her death, the popularity of Tejano music waned. During Saldvar's trial for the murdercalled the "trial of the century" and the most important trial for the Latino populationSaldvar said she accidentally shot Selena while attempting suicide. Saldvar was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Jennifer Lopez was cast as Selena in a 1997 biopic film about her life and achieved fame after the film's release.

Selena Quintanilla Pérez (Spanish pronunciation: [seˈlena kintaˈniʝa ˈpeɾes]; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, model, actress and fashion designer. Called the "Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. In 2020 Billboard magazine put her in third place on their list of "Greatest Latino Artists of All Time", based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart. Media outlets called her the "Tejano Madonna" for her clothing choices. She also ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time and is credited for catapulting the Tejano genre into the mainstream market.The youngest child of the Quintanilla family, she debuted on the music scene as a member of the band Selena y Los Dinos, which also included her elder siblings A.B. Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla. In the 1980s, she was often criticized and was refused bookings at venues across Texas for performing Tejano music—a male-dominated music genre. However, her popularity grew after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of The Year in 1987, which she won nine consecutive times. She signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album the same year, while her brother became her principal music producer and songwriter.

Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart for eight consecutive months. The album's commercial success led music critics to call it the "breakthrough" recording of her musical career. One of its singles, "Como la Flor", became one of her most popular signature songs. Live! (1993) won Best Mexican/American Album at the 1994 Grammy Awards, becoming the first recording by a female Tejano artist to do so. In 1994, she released Amor Prohibido, which became one of the best-selling Latin albums in the United States. It was critically acclaimed as being responsible for Tejano music's first marketable era as it became one of the most popular Latin music subgenres at the time.

Selena was shot and killed on March 31, 1995, by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and the former manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques. Saldívar was cornered by police when she attempted to flee and threatened to kill herself but was convinced to give herself up. She was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with possible parole after 30 years. Two weeks later, George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas, declared April 16 as Selena Day in Texas. Her posthumous crossover album, Dreaming of You (1995), debuted atop the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latin artist to accomplish this feat. In 1997, Warner Bros. released Selena, a film about her life and career, which starred a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez as Selena, catapulting her into fame. In 2020, Netflix released Selena: The Series starring Christian Serratos. Selena has sold around 18 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists in Latin music.