Nearly 18 years after portraying Selena Quintanilla on the silver screen, Jennifer Lopez will pay tribute to the Queen of Tejano music at the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Lopez’s role as the slain singer in the acclaimed 1997 biopic is seen by many as her breakthrough performance, which will make her tribute to Selena an anticipated event.
Telemundo announced the live tribute by J.Lo on Thursday afternoon, first on “Al Rojo Vivo” and later via social media and a press release. The announcement coincides with what would’ve been the slain Tejano star’s 44th birthday.
“It’s an honor, a great honor to be able to, 20 years after her death, to do a tribute for Selena,” Lopez told “Al Rojo Vivo.” “She continues to be someone that inspires. It’s something that excites me very much. And I want to do something special, very special -- just like she was -- in this tribute.”
The Grammy-winning star was murdered on March 31, 1995 at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas. The former head of her fan club Yolanda Saldívar was convicted for her murder.
Last month, fans remembered Selena Quintanilla on the 20th anniversary of her death. “The Real” host Adrienne Bailon returned to the stage after a six-year hiatus to perform an emotional tribute to the star with her hit “I Could Fall In Love.”
This weekend the Quintanilla family will also host a two-day music festival, La Fiesta de la Flor, in Corpus Christi to mark the 20 years since the singer’s death.
The Latin Billboards will be broadcast live by Telemundo from the BankUnited Center at the University of Miami on April 30.
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