In the documentary ‘Selena and Los Dinos’, which premiered on March 10 at SXSW, Chris Pérez, widower of the late singer Selena Quintanilla, read a letter that she gave him before they got married in 1992.
Almost 30 years after the murder of the ‘Queen of Tex-Mex’ at the hands of Yolanda Saldívar, the production directed by Isabel Castro portrays the artist’s life through interviews with her parents, siblings, her work team, and of course, with her widower.
According to a report by People, guitarist Chris Pérez shared his love story with Selena Quintanilla, and in his account, he read a letter she wrote to him by hand before they secretly got married. She wrote the letter during a time when they couldn’t see each other because Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla, fired him from the band when he found out about their relationship. They sent letters to each other to stay connected.
“I never liked the secrecy from the beginning, I always wanted to have Abraham’s respect,” she said, asserting that she felt “very sad” not to have her father-in-law’s approval.
One of the letters that Selena wrote to him during the time they were apart, she said: “God Chris, I have been so disconnected lately, it’s pathetic. I’m going crazy, I swear. I wish everyone would just leave me alone.”
The artist expressed her satisfaction at having Chris’s approval of their romance. In the letter, she continues: “I’m sorry for scaring you about wanting to marry you, but I think I’m trying to test you, to know how much you love me... Remember that I will always love you, forever, and I miss you more with every passing second.”
Chris couldn’t help but get emotional when reading the letter, so he stayed quiet for a while before being able to continue speaking.
Selena Quintanilla was the one who proposed marriage to Chris Pérez.
Chris Pérez revealed that it was Selena Quintanilla herself who proposed to him. One day, she knocked on his door and said, “Let’s get married,” and although at first he didn’t agree to marry without the support of their parents, he later agreed because of “his love” for her.
The couple eloped on April 2, 1992. They were married for almost three years, until she was murdered by Saldívar on March 31, 1995. She was 23 years old.
To the dismay of the singer’s relatives, friends, and fans, her murderer could be released on parole this March 31st, as according to Texas law, individuals convicted of serious crimes such as drug trafficking, murder, robbery, or rape, have the possibility of being released on parole if they have served half of their sentence or 30 years in prison.