Selena's Dad Isn't Sure About Celebrations of His Daughter's Death

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla was brutally murdered by her assistant—and the Latin world wants to commemorate the anniversary of her passing in a joyful way, with celebrations and a music festival. But her father, who managed her, isn’t so sure about how he feels about the fêtes.

Via AP Online:

“Of course I’m happy that, today, people remember Selena more than ever,” Abraham Quintanilla Jr. said via phone from his office in Corpus Christi. “But, as Jehovah’s Witnesses, we don’t celebrate deaths or birthdays, and we don’t want people to think we’re behind all the festivities.

“It’s crazy. It grows every day with events everywhere, but we’re not organizing them. Our family never got together every year on the day of her murder, because there’s nothing to celebrate, and this year won’t be the exception,” he added. “We remember our daughter every single day. We don’t need a special day to remember her.”

However—

Despite his reservations, Quintanilla has given his blessing to one event — the Festival de la Flor, featuring A.B. Quintanilla and the Kumbia King All Starz; Selena’s widower and former Los Dinos guitarist Chris Pérez; Little Joe & La Familia; Los Lobos and others. Corpus Christi’s Conventions and Visitors Bureau will host the festival April 17-18. Selena was born on April 16, 1971.

Feel like a trip to Corpus Christi? There’s more information about the festival here.