Late Mexican-American music star Jenni Rivera tells a story of rape, attempted suicide and domestic abuse in an official autobiography released this week on what would have been her 44th birthday.
People and People en Espanol magazines have offered excerpts from "Unbreakable: My Story, My Way", a 239-page volume published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.
The US-born singer reveals that she was raped by a man she encountered at a Los Angeles club where Rivera regularly performed as she was trying to get her career started.
Rivera, who died last December in a plane crash in northern Mexico, says she never told anyone about the assault because she wanted to preserve her identity as a tough rebel "who never lost a fight".
Other bombshells concern a suicide attempt at 19 and a secret lover 10 years her junior Rivera describes as a man who loved her "for the passionate, down, crazy, gangsta woman I was when the spotlight was off".
At the time of her death, Rivera was estranged from her third husband, professional baseball player Esteban Loaiza.
{{/usCountry}}At the time of her death, Rivera was estranged from her third husband, professional baseball player Esteban Loaiza.
{{/usCountry}}"This is a story of triumph despite many obstacles, much pain," the singer's sister, Rosie Rivera, told People en Espanol.