EXCLUSIVE: Music Queen Selena's Family Feud Erupts Over Singer's Lost Fortune
Selena's family feud erupts over the singer's lost fortune, fueling fresh tensions among relatives.
Oct. 6 2026, Published 7:30 a.m. ET
More than 30 years after being gunned down by the president of her fan club, Latin music queen Selena must be rolling in her grave after her brother slapped their sister with a lawsuit in a bitter family feud over profits from the murdered superstar's moneymaking legacy, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Abraham "A.B." Quintanilla III is accusing his sister Suzette Quintanilla-Arriaga, 59, of cheating him out of his contractual share of the millions generated by the singer, who was gunned down at age 23 in 1995 by fan club president Yolanda Saldívar.
Selena's Brother Demands Financial Records
A.B. Quintanilla is suing sister Suzette over his alleged unpaid share of Selena's earnings.
Abraham, 63, is seeking more than $1million in monetary relief and demanding the Nueces County, Texas, court in Corpus Christi force his sister to hand over the estate's financial records so his team can conduct a forensic accounting of the books going back 10 years.
In a statement, Abraham said the lawsuit stems from "years of accumulated situations, decisions and circumstances that for a long time I chose to keep silent out of respect, out of loyalty, and above all, because it involved my own family."
He added: "There are facts. There is evidence. There are circumstances. And there is much that is still unknown."
Known as the "Mexican Madonna," Selena was shot in the back with a single hollow-point bullet from a .38-caliber handgun after she went to Saldívar's motel room to confront her over missing money she believed had been embezzled from her businesses.
Selena's Death Sparked Estate Deal
Chris Pérez and Selena's family signed an agreement to divide earnings from her music, image and likeness.
While Saldívar, now 66, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, Selena's grieving family – husband Chris Pérez, parents Abraham Jr. and Marcella and her siblings – entered into an "Estate Properties Agreement" to divide the money generated by the Bidi Bidi Bom Bom singer's music, image and likeness.
The family feud apparently erupted after Selena's father – the patriarch who had long overseen the singer's lucrative legacy – died in December at age 86, throwing the family's financial arrangements into turmoil.
Suzette Denies Brother's Accusations
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Suzette Quintanilla and mother Marcella denied A.B.'s accusations in a joint statement.
In a joint statement, Suzette and her mom blasted Abraham's accusations as "false."
"There was no theft by Suzette," reads the statement. "Suzette has not stolen, misappropriated, or improperly taken money or property belonging to A.B., Abraham (Jr), Marcella, Chris, Selena's estate, or any family-owned or jointly owned business."
