When Chris Prez first met Selena Quintanilla, she was already a rising star in the Latin music industry. Her popular songs and stylish flair would eventually earn her the title Queen of Tejano. In 1990, Prez was hired as a new guitarist for Selenas band.Before long, the two bandmates bonded and fell in love. Despite objections from Selenas father, who was also her manager, the couple eloped. In 1992, Chris Prez became Selenas husband.Chris Prez/InstagramBefore Chris Prez became Selenas husband, he was a guitarist in her band.Sadly, their marital bliss lasted for only about three years before Selena was murdered by the former president of her own fan club. After Selenas death, Prez largely disappeared from the public eye, choosing to grieve in private.Years later, Chris Prez opened up about his struggle in a candid memoir. Although his book was positively received, his relationship with Selenas family has reportedly soured over the years.This is the full story of Chris Prez, his life as Selenas husband, and where he is now.How Chris Prez Became Selenas Husbandselenaandchris/InstagramSelena with Chris Prez and the rest of the band members of Selena Y Los Dinos.Born on August 14, 1969, in San Antonio, Texas, Chris Prez showed a clear talent for music growing up. His role in the high school music band eventually evolved into a passion for playing the guitar. By the late 1980s, Chris Prez met his future wife, Selena Quintanilla. Shortly thereafter, he was hired as a new member of her Tejano band Selena y Los Dinos. At the time, Selena had already been crowned Female Entertainer of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards.Romance began to blossom between the two young bandmates during a group trip to Acapulco, Mexico. Soon afterward, they started seeing each other in secret. When the truth came out, most of Selenas family was reportedly supportive of the young couple except for Selenas father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla.Her fathers disapproval likely due to Prezs juvenile run-ins with the law and bad boy image caused significant drama amongst the group. According to Prez, Selenas father even compared him to a cancer to his family.I think the main reason for that was it kind of hurt his pride and his ego to find out that he was the last to know and when things got tense and things were said by him, Selenas husband said years later. It hurt me that he was saying it but I didnt let it get to me because I knew deep down he knew the kind of person I was.FlickrIf shed lived, she would have been a complete superstar, said producer Keith Thomas.In 1992, Selena and Chris decided to elope. At the time, he was 22 and she was 20. And as the couple made it official, Selenas stardom began to skyrocket. Her album Entre a Mi Mundo was named the second best-selling regional Mexican album of all time by Billboard magazine, and the best-selling female Tejano record in history.In 1994, her concert album Selena Live! won a Grammy for best Mexican-American album at the 36th Grammy Awards, making Selena the first Tejano artist to win the award. Selenas husband was with her all along the way and he couldnt have been prouder.The fans saw Selenas sincerity and generosity, and felt her love for them, Prez wrote in his 2012 memoir To Selena, With Love. Selena appealed to everyone from excitable preteen girls who wanted to dress and dance like her, to abuelas who loved those heart-wrenching ballads like Como La Flor.'Nobody expected her life would end so soon.The Tragic Murder Of Selenaselenaandchris/InstagramChris Prez was married to Selena for three years before her unexpected death.On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot to death by her fan-turned-business partner, Yolanda Saldvar. The former president of Selenas fan club and the manager of Selenas boutique business, Saldvar had been fired by the singers family due to discrepancies in the companys finances. When Selena went alone to meet Saldvar at a motel to retrieve the remaining business documents, Saldvar shot her. Selena suffered a gunshot wound to the back of her shoulder, which doctors later said had shredded her right shoulder, lung, veins, and a major artery.By the time she was taken to the hospital, she was already clinically brain dead. Selena died just a few weeks before her 24th birthday.Selena famously used her last words to identify her killer to the motels staff members. Yolanda Saldvar was later found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in 2025.Chris Prez first heard that his wife had been shot from Selenas aunt. Hed been asleep when shed left to meet Saldvar and he initially thought she was spending time with his dad. By the time Chris Prez got to the hospital, his wife had already died. Barbara Laing/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty ImagesChris Prez with Selenas mother and sister laying roses atop Selenas casket at her funeral.News of the Latina stars death after she was shot by one of her trusted confidantes shook the music industry in the United States and across Latin America, where she had built a strong fanbase.In the aftermath of Selenas death, Prez was noticeably absent in the media, choosing to grieve in private. As corny as it sounds, things are just not the same after that, Chris Prez said of the death of his wife in an interview with a Selena fan. The colors arent as colorful as you thought they were. The food doesnt taste the same as you thought it did. Things dont feel the way they did before.He added: Looking back on it now, I lived a lot of my life after her passing with blinders on.Abraham Quintanillas disapproval of her daughters relationship with Chris Prez was portrayed in the 1997 film Selena.As for Yolanda Saldvar, the woman who killed his wife, Chris Prez said he always felt uneasy about her. Hed accompanied Selena at least twice before when shed met with Saldvar on previous occasions. On the day she was killed, Selena had gotten up early to see Saldvar alone, apparently without telling her husband. She had also borrowed her husbands cell phone.Chris Prez turned to music to help with his grief over the loss of his wife. He released new songs with the Chris Prez Band, which he formed with singer John Garza and former Selena keyboardist Joe Ojeda. In 2000, their rock album Resurrection won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album. The albums song Best I Can was specifically written by Prez to his late wife.Prez eventually married again in 2001 and had two children, though that marriage ended in divorce in 2008.How Chris Prez Fell Out With Selenas Family And Where He Is NowBarbara Laing/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty ImagesChris Prezs relationship with Selenas family has reportedly soured in recent years.Since her death, Selena has been immortalized in pop culture and is still remembered as one of the most influential talents in Latin music today. In 1997, the biopic Selena was released, starring Jennifer Lopez. The film chronicled the singers rise to fame up until her tragic murder. It also portrayed her relationship with Chris Prez (played by Jon Seda) and her fathers disapproval of their union. The films box office success, fueled by the late artists devoted fanbase, helped launch Lopez into superstardom.What shes become, especially for Latin culture and women, and just the positivity that she spoke about and displayed not only onstage but offstage I believe its her fans that have put her in the position that shes in these days, Prez said of his late wifes star power. Out of everybody that Ive known in my life, I dont know anybody more deserving than her.Although Chris Prez mostly kept to himself after his wifes death, his 2012 memoir offered fans an intimate look inside his life with Selena and the overall response was positive. According to Prez, he even received the blessing of his combative father-in-law.I didnt say anything to anyone while writing it, Prez said. When I was done and talked to Abraham about it, he said, Son, if its something you feel you need to do, you have every right to do it.' But this moment of peace didnt last forever. Selenas husband was allegedly left out of the production process for the Netflix biopic series Selena: The Series.In 2016, Selenas father sued Chris Prez, his production company Blue Mariachi, and Endemol Shine Latino, over their plan to turn his To Selena memoir into a TV series.The suit argued that a TV show would violate an estate properties agreement that Prez and relatives of Selena had signed shortly after her death. The agreement stipulated that her father owned entertainment properties of Selenas brand, which includes her name, voice, signature, and likeness. While the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, that wasnt the end of the feud. L. Cohen/WireImageChris Prez Band at the 2001 ALMA Awards.Prez has spoken out in recent years against alleged efforts to exclude him from projects related to Selena. Most recently, Chris Prez claimed that he had been kept in the dark about Selena: The Series, the Netflix biopic series released in December 2020.Along with the Netflix drama, Prez also recently got involved in an online dispute with Selenas sister, Suzette, over rumors that the family had taken down photographs of Prez at the Selena Museum. Selenas father responded, We have not taken any photos down of Chris in our museum. Why would we do that? He is a part of Selenas legacy.While his relationship with Selenas family has sadly become rocky, Chris Prezs love for the late star seems to remain as strong as ever, and he continues to receive support from Selenas fans as he speaks out about her legacy.If she gave any message to the younger generation, it would be: Stay in school, and anything is possible as long as you work for it, he said. If people remembered her in that way, Id be happy and Im sure she would be happy, too.Now that youve become familiar with Selenas husband, Chris Prez, read the full story behind the tragedy of Marilyn Monroes death. Next, learn everything there is to know about the death of Bruce Lee.The post Chris Prez And The Story Of His Marriage To Selena appeared first on All That's Interesting.