Kriti Mehrotra
While there’s no denying March 31, 1995, brought a blow to the entire music industry as Selena was shot to death, it was sadly allegations surrounding her personal life that soon gained more traction. This much even holds true for Oxygen’s ‘Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them,’ a docuseries carefully exploring the hows and whys behind this young Tejano superstar’s unexpected killing. So now, if you simply wish to learn more about the same — whether there really was another man for this singer apart from her husband, Chris Perez — we’ve got all the necessary details for you.
Selena Tied the Knot at Age 20
It was back on April 2, 1992, that rising star Selena Quintanilla (or simply Selena) eloped to legally marry her band’s former lead guitarist, Chris Perez, in a small Nueces County, Texas courthouse. The truth is this duo always knew her father/manager Abraham Quintanilla would disapprove of their romance, which is why they kept it a secret for nearly two years, that is, until they were caught. That’s when the latter forbade them to see one another before going as far as to threaten Selena y Los Dinos’ disbanding and ultimately kicking the musician out, leaving them no choice but to elope.
Selena and Chris honestly had no idea this would drive Abraham to alienate himself until he realized this was real — he then apologized plus showed acceptance by allowing the guitarist back. As if that’s not enough, he even went as far as to gift this newly married couple an apartment right next door to the Quintanilla family home as a way of indicating they were all one unit now. But alas, the bliss surrounding this entire union was relatively short-lived because the vocalist was shot to death at the hands of Yolanda Salvitre merely two days prior to her third wedding anniversary.
Selena Was Reportedly Involved With a Doctor
Since Yolanda was not just the ex-president of Selena’s fan club but also a close friend as well as confidant, her actions were deemed an utter betrayal despite her claims of it being an accident. It thus comes as no surprise most of her ensuing assertions weren’t given much heed either, especially once it also became apparent she’d been accused of embezzling from the latter mere weeks prior. This included her statements regarding her friend’s apparent affair with Monterrey, Mexico-based plastic surgeon Dr. Ricardo Martínez, especially as she only opened up about it during her trial.
However, murder convict Yolanda has since brought this up repeatedly, indicating Selena had actually been introduced to this older gentleman by her father at one of her concerts in his hometown. “She told me it was love at first sight,” the former said in the aforementioned original. “Then I saw them, and they were holding hands and kissing. That made me so uncomfortable because there’s Chris at home.” Nevertheless, she added, she kept their liaison a secret out of respect for the friendship she valued plus out of fear over both her and the Tejano superstar’s respective reputations.
“Dr. Martínez was introduced to me and the whole group of employees [at Selena Etc] as our Mexico investor,” Yolanda’s niece Tina also conceded in the production. “[He was painted as] somebody that was helping us expand the business. Then, all of a sudden, Yolanda and Selena were going to go stay over at Dr. Martínez’s apartment, so I thought that was a little strange.” Her aunt later continued, “The relationship was just blooming. She was so madly in love with him. I saw that. I was in the middle of a marriage, trying to help her cover it up” by going as far as to hide alleged love letters.
Dr. Ricardo Martínez was hence deposed during Yolanda’s trial, only for him to vehemently contend the defendant was lying because his association with young Selena was strictly professional. But then, in August 2012, he came forward to reveal he’d indeed had a romantic affinity with the late singer, starting with her coming in for a liposuction despite the fact “she didn’t really need it.” He told ‘Primer Impacto,’ “Everything that happened between us was because there was love that you can’t put into words. Even though it was short, we gave ourselves to each other completely… I don’t regret it.” Coming to why he didn’t say anything before, he stated it was out of “respect for her image, for her environment, and her family,” yet he didn’t want to hide anything anymore.
Read More: Where Are Selena Quintanilla-Pérez’s Parents Now?
