Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Would’ve Been 50 Today, and Fans Are Paying Tribute on Social Media

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez would have been 50 years old today. Born April 16, 1971, the Texan singer was one of the most popular and best-selling Tejano musicians of all time before she was murdered in 1995, at the age of 23.

Though her life and career were cut brutally short, her legacy has endured. Jennifer Lopez starred in a popular movie about her life, and there’s a Netflix series about her as well. A Selena-themed line of cosmetics at MAC was popular enough that the company produced another one a year ago. Kim Kardashian has dressed up as her for Halloween; Demi Lovato has too.

And fans still speak of her with reverence. Just watch Cristela Alonzo’s stand-up bit about why Selena is a Latinx superhero:

Online, fans took to Twitter to celebrate “Selena Day.”

“How does one celebrate the 50th birthday of Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez?” one person tweeted. “By dressing in her favorite colors, wearing her favorite makeup, eating her favorite foods like pizza and going to see the movie based on her life.” 

Another astutely posted, “i hope someday we no longer fear gun violence, it takes too many. on selena’s 50th bday i’m reminded that i cant give up advocating for a safer world for her and for everyone now. we lose so many everyday and we can change this i hope !”

“happy 50th birthday to the queen herself, Selena,” one person tweeted, while another simply wrote, “Happy birthday #Selena it would [have] been your 50th today.” 

Many fans, of course, will be listening to Selena’s music today. “Happy 50th to the Queen of Tejano,” one fan said. “If anyone needs me I’ll be listening to Selena in my office all day. It’s about the only thing going to get me through the day.”

I’ll be doing the same.