Selena's Legacy Grows 10 Years After Death

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/music_selena_anniversary

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A decade after Selena was gunned down by the president of her fan club, her musical legacy continues to thrive, winning over thousands of new fans, many of them young girls born after she died.

On a recent cold and rainy afternoon, Marta Solis and Patricia Mora posed for photos next to a life-sized bronze statue of Selena gazing out at the ocean. The friends drove 36 hours from Pasco, Wash., to tour Selena landmark sites in the Tejano singer's hometown of Corpus Christi, a city that has become a sort of Graceland for the slain singer's fans.

"I still remember being in sixth grade and crying uncontrollably after hearing she had been shot," said Solis, 22, a teacher and longtime fan. "For me she is a role model, because she got far for a Latina woman."

Her influence runs far deeper than the music she left behind; she has become a cultural icon for Latinos who see her as a woman who was proud of her roots and achieved her dreams. "Selena touched a lot of hearts," said Abraham Quintanilla, Selena's father and manager. "Her fans viewed her as a positive, humble person and I've always believed that in Selena's case it was just not the music but the person who made an impact."

[Ilsa]

1. Did they go out to her grave?

I read a story about some young woman who went out and placed a fresh rose on her grave every day. Spent a small fortune doing this over the years.

One thing was really weird about when she died: she was Jehovah Witness, but the local Catholic Church held a Mass for her. ???

I liked her music. I don't hear it much anymore where I live.

Oh, the other thing: I've seen the statue. It's really lovely except, in the words of a horny eighteen year old boy I heard talking about it, she looks like a streetwalker.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. A couple of photos of the statue...

The sad thing for me, in all of this, is that she hadn't really found her "voice" during her lifetime. She grew up listening to The Eagles and The Doobie Brothers...she learned Spanish at the insistence of her father. The music that made her name came from him (as well as her brother, who wrote or co-wrote most of it)...near the end of her life, she was no longer content with being a "Tejano singer." The "Dreaming Of You" album suggested an unfortunate middle-of-the-road leaning, but who knows. She really had a remarkable voice, undeniable charm, and her impact lingers.

[ronnykmarshall]

3. I was just becoming a fan

when she died.

She had a fantasic voice.

[Ilsa]

4. I think she could have reached Superstar status across

the spectrum of popular music, and maybe more, if she'd had the chance. I really loved her voice. It was clear, resonant, beautiful.

And she was a beautiful young woman. Like I said, I don't think the statue does her justice. I can't put my finger on it, but it doesn't work to convey her image, even though she did dress alot like that. I think the statue looks too provacative.

[WinterStorm]

5. She had her own clothing line

The crazy woman that killed her is out of prison by now.