She had 14 songs place in the top in Billboard's Top Latin Songs chart, seven of which made it to number one. She is also known for her Spanish language songs, and has been referred to as the Mexican equivalent of the U.S.'s Madonna. She was born in April of 1971 in Texas. In 1995, she was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar, who was also the former president of Selena's fan club. Saldivar had been fired for embezzling funds from the fan club. Her life, career, and death was documented in the musical Selena Forever and Selena, a 1997 film in which Jennifer Lopez took the title role. Former Texas governor George W. Bush declared the late singer's birthday "Selena Day" in Texas. To date, she has sold more than 90 million albums across the world, and is the overall third-best Latin selling artist, behind Shakira and Gloria Estefan. She has also been listed on the Albany-based New York Times Union's list of 100 Coolest Americans in History.
