In 1994, Selena released "Amor Prohibido". The album became the best-selling Latin album of all time. Five singles from the album reached number one on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Selena was the first Hispanic artist to do this. The album was certified double platinum by the end of the year. She also won awards from Premio Lo Nuestro including Best Latin Artist and Song of the Year. Selena recorded a duet with the Barrio Boyzz called "Donde Quiera Que Estes". The song got to number one on the Hot Latin Tracks. This allowed Selena to tour in New York City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Central America, where she was not well known. The album and the single of the same name were nominated for a Grammy Award. "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Mas" became the most successful singles of 1994 and 1995 on the Hot Latin Track charts, according to "Billboard" and Nielson SoundScan. She was then called the "Queen of Tejano music".
In late 1994, EMI chairman Charles Koppelman felt that Selena had succeeded her goals in the Spanish market. He wanted to release a cross over album with Selena. Grammy Award-winning composers began writing songs for her to record. Her goal was to become a pop icon like Donna Summer, Paula Abdul, Madonna and Mariah Carey. Selena continued on her Amor Prohibido Tour while EMI Latin prepared the album. In 1995, Selena made a cameo appearance in "Don Juan DeMarco", which starred Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. In February 1995, Selena performed at the Houston Astrodome. She performed for a record-breaking audience of over 60,000 fans. This was more than country singers such as George Strait, Vince Gill, Clint Black and Reba McEntire. Meanwhile, she was planning to open two more clothing stores. One was scheduled to be opened in Monterrey, Mexico.
Selena visited local schools to talk to students about the importance of education. She spent her free time helping her community. She also worked with D.A.R.E.. She planned a fundraising concert to help AIDS patients. Selena also helped victims in Florida after Hurricane Andrew made landfall there in 1992.
According to the A&E television series "Biography", Selena's fans were minorities in the world. She encouraged them to be the best they can be. Her biggest fear was that no one would come watch her perform. At her peak, she continued to ask her father if anybody had showed up.
Selena was called the "Mexican Madonna", but unlike Madonna, Selena valued family and never cursed. She also was known for her "sexy stage costumes" that she wore while performing. Her friends and family called her a daredevil.
Saldívar was an employee and manager for Selena's clothing stores and fan club. Saldívar was stealing money from these businesses and was eventually caught. Selena did not believe that her best friend could do something like that. She tried to maintain their friendship, but by March 1995, it began to get worse. Selena and her husband Pérez visited Saldívar on March 30, 1995 to get the documents that she had stolen. Saldívar did not give Selena all the documents. On the morning of March 31, 1995, Selena met up with Saldívar to collect paperwork and missing documents for tax preparations. At the hotel, Selena demanded that Saldívar give her the missing financial papers. Saldívar then claimed that she was raped in Mexico. Selena took her to a local hospital where doctors found that Saldívar was lying. This made Selena decide to end her friendship with Saldívar. When they returned to the hotel, they began arguing even more.
When Selena turned to leave, Saldívar took a gun from her purse. She pointed it at Selena and pulled the trigger, shooting Selena in the back. Selena ran to the hotel lobby for help. She was seen holding her chest screaming repeatedly, "Help me!, I've been shot!". Saldívar chased her and called her a "bitch". Selena fell to the floor and named Saldívar as the shooter. By the time Selena arrived at a local hospital, she was pronounced dead. She was two weeks away from her 24th birthday and three days from her third wedding anniversary with Pérez. Saldívar went to her pickup truck and threatened to commit suicide. The SWAT and the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit were called. She surrendered after nine hours.
Saldívar pleaded not guilty. She said that the shooting was an accident. She said that she meant to shoot herself, not Selena. But prosecutor Carlos Valdez pointed out that Saldivar, a former nurse, did not call 911 or attempt to help Selena after she was shot. The jury sentenced Saldívar to life imprisonment. She has the right for parole in 2025. Reactions to Selena's death were compared to reactions to Elvis Presley and John Lennon's deaths. George W. Bush, Governor of Texas at the time, declared April 16 as "Selena Day" in Texas. Selena's death was called "Black Friday" in Texas. Most White Texans were offended that Selena Day would be celebrated on Easter. Many of them also wrote to the "Brazosport Facts" that "Easter is "more" important than Selena Day". Mexican Americans in Texas wrote negative replies to the comments that were made. One Mexican American wrote that some comments made were "rude". Radio host Howard Stern mocked Selena's funeral and death. Many fans disapproved of such actions and held public boycotts.
In 1997, Warner Bros. released a movie about Selena's life. Jennifer Lopez played Selena. The role helped Lopez become famous. Music critic David Bauder believed that if Selena were alive, she would have broken the record sales of Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Paula Abdul and Whitney Houston. By 1996, Selena held the record for more wins at the Latin Music Awards than any other artist. In 2006, a Selena museum was built in Q-Productions. Mirador de la Flor, a bronze life-sized statue, was created in memory of Selena. These memorials are in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Guinness Book of World Records named Selena as the "most dominating artist". Selena also became the first Hispanic singer to have an album sung mostly in Spanish to reach number one. She also became the first female to place five albums at the same time on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The only other artists to have done this were Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Garth Brooks. "Billboard" wrote that the release of "Dreaming of You" was "a historic day in Latin music history". The album helped Selena to become the second-fastest selling female artist that year, behind Janet Jackson. "Dreaming of You" became the second-highest debut that year, behind Michael Jackson.
"People" magazine released a tribute issue for Selena. It sold one million copies in one day. This was the only issue to have been sold out in stores across the United States. The company released three more runs, and all sold out in two weeks. This made the company to release "People En Espanol". A musical called "Selena Forever", starring Veronica Vasquez as "Selena", opened in Los Angeles. The American Bank Center in Corpus Christi renamed its 2,526-seat "Bayfront Auditorium" to "Selena Auditorium".
A tribute concert, "Selena ¡VIVE!", premiered on Univision on April 7, 2005. The concert marked the 10th anniversary of Selena's murder. The show included other Latin artists performing covers of Selena's songs. The show was the highest rated and most-watched Spanish-language show in American television history. The show had about 37 million viewers, more than the number of viewers of that night's episode of "American Idol". The show had the highest ratings in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City.