Selena father Abraham Quintanilla Jr. dies at 86

Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr., the father and manager of late Tejano music star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, has passed away at the age of 86.

Selena’s brother and producer confirmed the upsetting news on Saturday, December 13, via a social media post.

Taking to Instagram, Abraham’s son, Abraham "A.B." Quintanilla III, shared a close up shot of his father with the heartbreaking announcement.

"It’s with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today…" A.B., he captioned the post, which was set to Pedro Infante’s Cien Años. As of yet the cause of death had not been disclosed.

The Texas-born artist stepped into the musical sphere in his teenage years. In 1956 he joined the vocal group the Dinos and left the band in the late 1960s to focus on raising his family.

Married to Marcella Quintanilla, Abraham welcomed three children: A.B., Suzette and Selena, who was fatally shot at age 23 in March 1995.

After recognising Selena’s talent at a young age, her father went on to manage and help develop one of Latin music’s most celebrated artists.

Selena’s short-lived but historic career earned her the title of the Queen of Tejano.

In the 1990s, she broke barriers in a male-dominated field, thanks to her hits, including Dreaming of You, Como La Flor, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, and, Amor Prohibido, the latter of which Dua Lipa recently covered during her Mexico City performance at the Radical Optimism World Tour finale stop.