Selena

She was a singer, performer and designer who broke through the barriers of the world of music. Her dual character as one of the most prominent Mexican American star was both modern and traditional. She brought Tejano to the mainstream by inventing new ways. It is the norm of a brilliant and captivating star goes down way too soon in life, her sudden death shattered her popularity. There was a lot of sadness over the potential that was not fully realized. Fans have worked harder throughout the years to keep her legacy alive. The tragic shooting death of Selena resulted in a reaction within the Latino community that was similar with the reactions to the death of Elvis Presley or John Lennon. An enormously popular singer across Latino communities throughout North America her music crossed lines of cultural difference to affect the lives of young and old alike. She was a flamboyant, sexually attractive stage performer sometimes hailed as the Latina Madonna Selena was nonetheless seen as a role model off-stage she was family oriented active in anti-drug campaigns as well as AIDS awareness campaigns.