Chris Perez Found a New Wife & Had 2 Kids after Selena's Death

Chris Pérez and Selena Quintanilla had a fantastic relationship though it wasn't perfect. After Selena's demise, Chris found love again, remarried, and started a family. So who is Chris Pérez's wife and kids?

Based on Chris' book "To Selena with Love," he met Selena in 1989 when he joined her band, Selena y Los Dinos as their guitarist. As they began working together, the pair became attracted to each other and soon started dating—a relationship Selena's father disapproved of.

The lovebirds finally tied the knot in a secret wedding in 1992 without Selena's father's approval; he learned about their union in the tabloids. Unfortunately, the two didn't get to enjoy their married life, as their marriage was cut short when Selena died in 1995, aged 23.

Her death had a massive impact on Chris' life, but with time, he found a way to cope with grief by establishing his music career, becoming a husband again, and eventually a father. Here's what we know about Chris Pérez's wife and kids.

Chris Pérez Dedicated the Book to Selena

Chris and Selena's relationship wasn't a walk in the park; the pair had their ups and downs. Chris had a rough time getting along with Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., especially after he found out about their relationship. Not only was Chris fired from Selena's band, but her father called him nasty things.

But that didn't discourage Chris from giving up on Selena; they continued their relationship until they officially became a couple in 1992. Their marriage was a massive shock to Selena's father, as he was the last person to know, which hurt his pride.

After getting married, their love life was far from perfect, and they thought of breaking up at some point. But Selena's brother intervened, and they later patched things up and promised never to break up.

Even after many years since Selena died, Chris continues to honor her legacy. In 2012, he released the book "To Selena with Love," in which he shares memories and stories of his late wife and how she impacted people.

The book gives an in-depth look into who Selena was off the stage—a beautiful young and ambitious woman in her early twenties who had so much to offer.

Chris Pérez and Selena Wanted to Have Children Right before She Died

Chris and Selena dreamt of having a family. In Chris' book, he opened up about how he and Selena envisioned having kids and had even bought a piece of land on top of a hill with a beautiful view where they had planned to build their family home.

According to Chris, Selena wanted to have five kids, but he always told her they get one first and then revisit the conversation. Unfortunately, Selena didn't live to see her dream come true. After she died, Chris couldn't bare the thought of living on that land without her, so he sold the property.

Even though it's been many years since Selena passed on, Chris frequently shares posts about her.

Selena died in March 1995 after being shot in the back by Yolanda Saldivar following a dispute about alleged embezzlement. She died aged 23 and had no children.

Chris Pérez's Musical Career after Selena's Death

Chris was devastated by Selena's murder, and it took him time to get over his wife's death. In one section of his book, he opens up about not eating for days and struggling to sleep. He then turned to drugs and alcohol to ease his pain.

According to Chris, he felt guilty for not protecting Selena against Saldivar, but after a few years, he found a way to cope with the grief. In 1999, Chris formed his band, Chris Pérez, and their first album, "Resurrection," featured many of Selena's songs.

But after the band split in 2001, Chris continued making music with members of Selena's band. In 2006, he joined A.B. Quintanilla III y Los Kumbia All Starz as a guitarist but only performed with them for three years. He then formed another band alongside Angel Ferrer in 2009.

Based on Chris' social media pages, he is a Grammy Award-winning instrumentalist, producer, songwriter, author, and Entrepreneur. Chris reunited with his band, and in September 2022, the crew released a music video for the song "Pushing Ahead."

Chris Pérez Has a Child with Special Needs

Chris found love again after his wife's death. He tied the knot with Venessa Villanueva on October 26, 2001, but divorced in April 2008. The pair share two children, their first child, Cassandra Gabrielle Pérez, was born on December 23, 1998, and their son Noah Pérez was born on April 5, 2005. He is a child with special needs; he was born with Down Syndrome.

Chris' children followed in his footsteps. On his social media posts, Chris shared how he was teaching his daughter to play the guitar and his son to play the drums. In 2021, Cassandra performed with his dad, and Chris shared how proud he was of his daughter performing in a huge crowd.

Chris Pérez Is Still Thinking of Selena

Even though it's been many years since Selena passed, Chris frequently shares posts about her. He still keeps her in his thoughts and honors her legacy. In one of his posts, he captioned:

"The time has come! Let's all continue to celebrate the greatness of #Selena and her music! Nobody did it (or still does it) quite like her. Thanks to all of you, again, for keeping her legacy and her music."

Selena, also known as the Queen of Latin Music, is greatly remembered for her impact on the music industry and the many lives she touched through her songs. Selena is among the most influential Latin artists of all time. Others in the category include Gloria Estefan and Marc Anthony.