Jennifer Lopez honors the late singer she played in the 1997 big-screen movie, telling ET, 'She was such an amazing spirit.'
Jennifer Lopez became a household name in 1997 when she played Selena, the pop star who died tragically two decades ago at 23. Now, Telemundo is showing a new look at the singer in never-before-seen home movies.
Telemundo will air a special tribute on Sunday called Siempre Selena, which will include personal stories from her family, including her husband, Chris Perez.
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"The plane started bouncing around," Perez says in the special, recalling the day they met. "I got scared. Next thing I know she was holding my hand and that was the beginning of everything."
Selena was killed on March 31, 1995, when she went to confront Yolanda Saldivar, the woman who managed her clothing boutiques. Saldivar was suspected of embezzling money, and fired a gun during her meeting with Selena.
The Texas-born Tejano singer was on the verge of crossing over into English-language pop music at the time of her death with some calling her the "Mexican Madonna."
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"She was such an amazing spirit," Jennifer Lopez told ET earlier this month. "That's why 20 years later we're still talking about her.
Selena's story became a major motion picture just two years after her death. Lopez was a little-known actress at the time and she got her first taste of fame when the movie opened.
"I didn't expect all of this," she told ET at the film's premiere in 1997. "It's crazy. I can't believe it, but as usual Selena's fans have come out to support her."
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