Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. in 2005. Frank Casimiro/Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Abraham Quintanilla Jr., the father of late Tejano star Selena Quintanilla who served as her manager and steward of her legacy, has died. He was 86. Quintanilla Jr.'s death was announced on Instagram by his son, Abraham "A.B." Quintanilla III. "It's with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today," the younger Quintanilla wrote in his caption alongisde a photo of his father. The cause of death is not yet known. Related Stories Movies Peter Greene, 'Pulp Fiction' and 'The Mask' Actor, Dies at 60 Movies Arthur Cohn, Three-Time Oscar-Winning Producer, Dies at 98 Born in Corpus Christi, Texas on Feb. 22, 1939, Quintanilla Jr. was a musician himself, performing in the band Los Dinos before leaving the group to focus on raising a family. After recognizing his daughter Selena's vocal talent, he revived the Dinos as a family band, Selena y Los Dinos, which also included A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla, on bass and the drums, respectively, with the family patriarch serving as the manager of the group. Selena's future husband Chris Pérez, played guitar in the band. "I got married and started to have children, and that dream started to fade away. I got settled down raising a family," Quintanilla Jr. told the San Antonio Express-News in 2022. "Then I started teaching my kids what I loved. Music. Eventually, they got so good that my dream that I had that had faded became their dream." The group experienced success in Tejano music in the late 1980s, laying the foundation for Selena's crossover success. Selena was murdered in 1995 by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, and Quintanilla Jr. became the main guardian of her legacy. "I was always trying to protect my kids. And I guess, maybe, I overprotected them where they had no knowledge of the outside world. I grew up in the streets, so I know that world. That's the reason why I became very overprotective with my children," Quintanilla Jr. told the San Antonio Express-News, alluding to his daughter's murder. "But as overprotective as I was, I let the wolf into the chicken coop." He executive produced the 1997 biopic Selena, in which his daughter was played by Jennifer Lopez, and Edward James Olmos portrayed Quintanilla. He was played by Ricardo Chavira in the 2020-2021 Netflix series Selena: The Series, which Quintanilla Jr. also executive produced. Netflix in November released the documentary Selena y Los Dinos: A Family Legacy, which explores Selena's rise with the group. The film, executive produced by A.B. and Suzette Quintanilla, was nominated for best music documentary at the IDA Documentary Awards, won the audience award at the Miami Film Festival and received the U.S. documentary special jury award in archival storytelling at Sundance. In the documentary, Quintanilla Jr. recalls the first time he brought Selena to a record label in San Antonio. "At first, they were skeptical because it's a girl - and a young girl," he says. "I said, 'Well, let's give it a try one time,' and we recorded a song." She was signed quickly thereafter. He released his memoir, A Father's Dream: My Family's Journey in Music, in 2021. In addition to his children A.B. and Suzette, Quintanilla is survived by his wife Marcella. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Zara Larsson Why Zara Larsson Embraced the Dolphins and Glitter on Her Grammy Nominated 'Midnight Sun' Tate McRae Amy Allen Is Shaping the Sound of Modern Pop, One Hit at a Time creator economy Why Beats Is Betting on the Creator Economy With Its New Ad Campaign The End of an Era Taylor Swift Stops by 'Late Show' and Shares a Couple of Her Favorite Songs From Her Catalog Yungblud Yungblud Took the Biggest Risk of His Career With 'Idols' - It Led Him All the Way to the Grammys Obituaries Jubilant Sykes, Grammy-Nominated Singer, Dies From Stabbing at 71, With His Son in Custody Zara Larsson Why Zara Larsson Embraced the Dolphins and Glitter on Her Grammy Nominated 'Midnight Sun' Tate McRae Amy Allen Is Shaping the Sound of Modern Pop, One Hit at a Time creator economy Why Beats Is Betting on the Creator Economy With Its New Ad Campaign The End of an Era Taylor Swift Stops by 'Late Show' and Shares a Couple of Her Favorite Songs From Her Catalog Yungblud Yungblud Took the Biggest Risk of His Career With 'Idols' - It Led Him All the Way to the Grammys Obituaries Jubilant Sykes, Grammy-Nominated Singer, Dies From Stabbing at 71, With His Son in Custody