Never-Before-Seen Clip Of Selena Unearthed After Being Lost For 23 Years
Selena Quintanilla's unexpected death in 1995 was one the first celebrity deaths that many of us 80s and 90s kids really mourned.
The 23-year-old Tejano singer was on the way to international super stardom when her life was cut short by Yolanda Saldivar, her friend and former manager of Selena Etc. boutiques.
Selena discovered that Yolanda was part of a money embezzlement scheme involving her fan club and the clothing boutiques. As a result, Yolanda was fired, but initially refused to hand over the financial records.
Three weeks later, Selena set up a meeting with her at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, to retrieve the papers, but in a tragic turn of events, she ended up being shot to death.
The "Dreaming of You" singer's story was brought to life in the 1997 film, Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez. The movie included some real-life footage of the late icon, giving the viewer a glimpse into what she was when she was alive.
Twenty-three years later, a rare, long-lost video of an interview Selena gave less than year before she was gunned down has been discovered.
The clip was found on a television camera that was donated by Univision to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
The interview was recorded in April 1994 for a program titled Tejano USA which aired on San Antonio's KWEX-TV, Channel 41.
Selena, who was slated to perform at the Coca-Cola-sponsored "Texas Live" festival at Hemisfair Park, took a break from rehearsals to talk about her Grammy win, and the excitement she felt brushing shoulders with some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
The humble starlet told the reporter that when she and her band first learned about their Grammy nomination they "all freaked out."
She continued, "The first thing, I promise, the first thing that came to mind is that I need to take a camera to take pictures with all of these stars. It didn't hit me till later when I thought, 'Oh my God. What if we win?' They didn't let me take my camera in, that's one of the things. I didn't get to take pictures until afterward."
The charming entertainer also talked about having "a lot of respect for actresses and actors" after her guest spot on the Mexican telenovela Dos Mujeres, Un Camino.
Selena then had the opportunity to introduce her video for Amor Prohibido at the end of the interview.
Apparently, the station production manager has been looking for the footage for years, but it wasn't until this summer when the tape was digitized that Selena's interview was found. The discovery came just in time for the museum's new "American Enterprise" exhibition, which explores the history of Hispanic advertising including Selena's work as a spokesperson for Coca-Cola.
Objects on display include the iconic black leather jacket and satin bustier that Selena wore during performances between 1990 and 1995.
You can watch the rare interview in the video below: