Selena’s Legacy Travels From Texas to California

When the world lost the Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla, to a fatal gunshot wound, the entire music industry mourned the loss. Fans from all around the world came together around the time of the funeral, truly showing the impact Quintanilla has had on the music world. Since her death, her family opened The Selena Museum in 1998, just 3 years after her death. The museum contains belongings from when she was a kid, her first car, iconic outfits she became known for, and her Grammy. 

Fans from all around have come together in hopes of catching a glimpse of these precious items or meeting her family, but not everyone can make their way to Corpus Cristi, Texas. In 2025, the Grammy Museum announced it would be holding the exhibit, “Selena: From Texas To The World,” from Jan. 16 to March 16. The exhibit holds iconic memories of hers and has become a quick special landmark for fans, with them lining up around the block. Selena’s Grammy, lifetime achievement award, and hand-drawn designs are on display.

Her sister, Suzette Quintenilla, worked most directly on the exhibit, choosing and curating the pieces she would share in LA. One of the most special items you can find is a wall replaying home videos from when Selena was growing up. Many never-before-seen videos were released last year through the family’s documentary, “Selena y Los Dinos.” Selena’s sister stated in the documentary, “They took her life, but we’re going to keep her alive through her music,” a quote that still rings true today. Quintenilla also commented on the various uses of AI to recreate small moments of her sister or generate possibilities of what she might look like today. “They can emulate her physical look, but there ain’t nothing better than the real thing,” said Quintenilla. In between both of these exciting ways to honor the late singer, news broke near the end of December that Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, had passed away at the age of 86. He leaves behind his wife, his kids, and his grandkids.

Quintanilla was always known to be right behind Selena through everything; he was both her manager and father. In fact, Selena getting eloped with her husband Chris Perez in secret was the biggest lie she ever told her father, out of fear of how he would react. Years later, fans still are fascinated by their relationship, but at the end of the day, they were family and shared a close bond over music. Her father often headed the Selena Museum with his wife, greeting fans and even taking photos with them. He spent the last few years of his life honoring his youngest daughter in any way possible.