Selena Quintanilla’s Dad Writing Memoir About Her Life

Celebrated Tejano star Selena Quintanilla was killed on March 31, 1995, and her family has kept her legacy alive since, with movies, collaborations with brands like MAC Cosmetics and more. In February, Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, announced on Facebook that he is writing a book about his family, which he will release later this year.

“Today I finally finished the last chapter of my book that I have been writing for the last few months,” Abraham wrote. “Nancy De Los Santos was the ghost writer that helped me write the Book. Nancy was a co-producer on the Selena movie and is from Los Angeles Ca. Since my daughter Selena died I was wanting to write a book.”

Abraham, who began his daughter’s singing career by creating a family band, Selena y Los Dinos, added that there are around 21 unauthorized books written about Selena and “none of the writers ever interviewed” the late star.

“My family and I and Chris Perez know exactly what happened, as l mentioned none of the writers or even [author] Maria Celeste ever interviewed Selena,” he added. Selena’s husband, Chris Perez, previously wrote a book about her in 2012. An estate agreement he signed with Selena’s family after her death prohibited him from producing books, television, or movie deals about Selena, but Abraham gave Perez approval for his book.

De Los Santos discussed Abraham’s upcoming book on her own social media accounts and wrote that she was “honored to be assisting Abraham Quintanilla on his memoir.”

“His journey in music and his personal life’s road has many twists and turns, hilarious experiences, low points, great success, and of course, tragedy,” she continued. “At its core, it’s the deep love the Quintanilla familia has for each other and their faith in God that lifts them every day to honor Selena’s memory and legacy. Mr. Q’a story will surprise and comfort all who know the Quintanilla familia and who love Selena.”

For a special issue of PEOPLE commemorating the 25th anniversary of Selena’s death, Abraham revealed that he had made a promise to keep his daughter’s memory alive.

“When Selena passed away, I told my family that I was going to try to keep her memory alive through her music,” he said. “And 25 years later I think we, as a family, accomplished that.”

Selena was killed when she went to a motel room to meet Yolanda Saldívar, the former president of her fan club who the family suspected of embezzling money. Saldívar shot Selena in the back and the singer was pronounced dead at the hospital about one hour later. Saldívar was sentenced to life in prison and is up for parole in 2025.

Photo Credit: Getty / Vinnie Zuffante