Selena

Died On This Date (December 13, 2025) Abraham Quintanilla / Musician & Producer; Father of Selena

themusicsover December 13, 2025 No Comments

**Photo Credit: YouTube grab via Wikimedia**

Abraham Quintanilla Sr., the hard-driving patriarch who helped shape one of the most important Latin music stories of the late 20th century, died on December 13, 2025, at the age of 86. Cause of death was not immediately released. He was best known as the father and early manager of Selena Quintanilla, but his role in her rise went far beyond a title, rooted in belief, discipline, and an unshakable conviction that his daughter’s voice belonged on the biggest stages.

Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, Quintanilla was a former musician himself, a onetime member of the band Los Dinos, before turning his focus to his family. When he recognized Selena’s natural talent as a child, he reorganized his life around it, forming Selena y Los Dinos and committing fully to a vision that, at the time, felt improbable. He pulled his children out of school, booked shows wherever he could, and pushed them through years of grueling performances across Texas and northern Mexico, often playing to indifferent crowds and sleeping in less-than-ideal conditions.

That persistence paid off. Under Quintanilla’s guidance, Selena became a defining voice of Tejano music, breaking barriers for a genre that rarely crossed into the mainstream. His approach was strict and protective, sometimes controversial, but always driven by the desire to shield his daughter from an industry he viewed as unforgiving and predatory. After Selena’s murder in 1995, Quintanilla became the keeper of her legacy, overseeing posthumous releases, tributes, and projects that helped introduce her music to new generations around the world.

In later years, he continued to speak publicly about Selena’s impact, her work ethic, and the cultural doors she opened, never allowing her story to be reduced to tragedy alone. To him, she was first and always a working musician who earned every step forward.

International Musician Pop Singer

Died On This Date (August 12, 1985) Kyu Sakamoto / Japanese Pop Singer; Had Hit With “Sukiyaki”

themusicsover August 12, 2010 No Comments

Kyu Sakamoto
December 10, 1941 – August 12, 1985

Kyu Sakomoto was one of Japan’s most influential pop stars as well as a popular actor. Since he sang in Japanese, he was basically unknown to English speaking music fans, however, he did have an American hit with “Sukiyaki” in 1963. Released on Capitol Records, it became the first, and since, only Japanese sung song to hit #1 on the pop charts. It stayed there for three weeks. R&B group, A Taste Of Honey released an English cover of the song in 1981, while Latin pop star, Selena recorded a Spanish version that was released after her death. On August 12, 1985, Kyu Sakamoto was aboard the ill-fated Japan Airlines Flight 123 when it suffered mechanical troubles and crashed into the side of a mountain. He was one of 520 passengers who perished in what has been called the deadliest single-plane crash in history. Sakamoto was 43.

Country Latin Musician Singer Songwriter

Died On This Date (October 14, 2006) Freddy Fender / Tejano & Country Music Great

themusicsover October 14, 2009 No Comments

Freddy Fender (Born Baldemar Huerta)
June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006

freddy-fender

Freddy Fender was arguably America’s most popular Tejano star – at least until Selena came along. Fender is best remembered for his crossover hits of “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” and “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” as well as his later work with Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. Born into a traveling circus family, Fender took to entertaining at a very young age. At 5, he fashioned his first guitar out of a sardine can and screen door wire, and by 10 he was making his first appearances at local radio stations. In the mid ’50s, after being court martialed and discharged from the Marines, Fender began touring as El Bebop Kid, doing Spanish versions of popular rockabilly and country songs. In 1959, he recorded “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” which quickly became his signature song. Unfortunately, just as his fame was on the rise, he was arrested for marijuana possession and sent to the notorious Angola prison farm in Louisiana. He was released three years later and all but retired from music while working as a mechanic. When Fender made his comeback in 1973, he did so in a big way, with “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” reaching #1 on both the country and pop charts. Over the next decade Fender charted 21 country hits. His career experienced yet another comeback when, in the late ‘8os he joined up with Doug Sahm, Flaco Jiminez and Augie Meyers in the Texas Tornados, with whom he won a Grammy for Best Mexican American Performance. He followed that up with a stint in Los Super Seven, who along with Cesar Rosas, David Hidalgo, Joe Ely, Ruben Ramos and Rick Trevino, won the same Grammy nine years later. He won his third Grammy in 2001, this time for his own album, La Musica de Baldemar Huerta. In ailing health in later years, Fender received a kidney transplant from his daughter in 2002, and a liver transplant in 2004. He died of lung cancer on October 14, 2006 at the age of 69.