Selena Quintanilla's father protected her legacy after she was tragically killed by a fan in 1995. Abraham Quintanilla Jr, who died aged 86 on Saturday, helped shape the Queen of Tejano Music's unforgettable career. He not only managed her, but also her band, Selena y Los Dinos. However, he kicked out lead guitarist Chris Pérez after learning he was secretly dating his daughter.
Why Abraham Quintanilla kicked out Selena's husband Chris Pérez from her band
Chris was hired by Selena's brother, A.B Quintanilla, after he auditioned for the band in 1990. Although the Bidi Bidi Bom Bom hitmaker kept her relationship with him strictly professional in the early days, she quickly fell in love with him during a trip to Mexico.
The first time Chris saw Selena, he thought she was “beautiful and talented,” he said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in March 2018. “I’m a shy person by nature, and there was something about her that was just able to pull me out.”
In his 2013 memoir, To Selena, with Love, Chris revealed that their relationship deepened during a Coca-Cola-sponsored trip to Acapulco. During that time, Selena was “truly free to be herself,” and they sat next to each other at dinner throughout the trip.
On the way back to the United States, their feelings intensified. Shortly after, they began dating in secret as they knew Selena's father would disapprove of their relationship.
{{/usCountry}}On the way back to the United States, their feelings intensified. Shortly after, they began dating in secret as they knew Selena's father would disapprove of their relationship.
{{/usCountry}}“We were friends first, so I got to know her on that level,” Chris told People in November 2025. “I worried her dad would kill us, but when she wanted something, she was determined.”
However, the secret did not last long as Abraham eventually found out. Despite Selena's requests, he kicked Chris out of the band. But the young couple eloped on April 2, 1992. After their marriage, he re-joined.
On what would have been their 25th wedding anniversary in 2017, Chris wrote on Facebook, “It's hard to believe that today marks 25 years since Selena and I decided that the only way to be together...was to run away and get married (at 20 and 22 years old) in secret.” “What a rollercoaster ride that day was.”