Selena Quintanilla's Dad Talks About Her Lifetime Achievement Grammy
On Sunday, during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Selena Quintanilla will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Her father Abraham Quintanilla, 82, shared with People that his daughter would have been honored to receive the award.
"I was very happy to open the box up and see this important award honoring my daughter's work," he said. "Truly honored by this."
"Selena would have been very excited for this honor, just like she was when she won her Grammy back in 1994," he added. The late Queen of Tejano music won the Grammy Award for best Mexican American album for Live, while wearing her iconic white gown.
He said that the honor goes beyond recognizing her music, but the band Selena y Los Diños as well. "This award represents all the hard work and more importantly, represents our Latin culture," he shared.
When asked if Selena is more famous now than before, he said: "Yes. Over the years, the new generations have discovered her and have fallen in love with her."
Selena was killed in 1995 at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar. "Selena's life was cut short, but her fans have carried her throughout the years and her legacy is being passed on from generation to generation," her father said. "That in itself is incredible."
To this day, Selena's legacy is honored with many projects like a beauty line with MAC Cosmetics and various productions like Netflix's Selena: The Series. "Her legacy is growing and crossing cultural boundaries," Abraham said. "That is not something that normally happens when an artist is no longer here."
"As a father, I have always been proud of everything Selena and my kids have done in the music world," he concluded.