by Zuleyka Indarte
It is with great sadness that Latinos around the world mourn the death of Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera. Yesterday, at approximately 3:25 am, a private plane carrying seven people, including the star, lost contact with air traffic control near Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The plane, which was heading for Toluca where Rivera was set to appear on popular show La Voz…Mexico, crashed into a mountain, killing all on board. The news of the singer’s death was confirmed by her father, Pedro Rivera.
At 43, Rivera managed to accomplish much in her short life. born in Long, Beach California, she lived in a music oriented, traditional Mexican family. The star became pregnant with her first child with first husband, Jose Trinidad Marin, while attending high school. Although the couple divorced in 1992, Marin became a negative presence in Rivera and her children’s lives when, in 2006, he was convicted of molesting the singer’s daughter Chiquis and her sister-in-law, Rosie.
Rivera did not let her hardships deter her from pushing forward. In 1997 the star married Juan Lopez. The union resulted in two children. After divorcing with Lopez in 2009, Rivera married Esteban Loaiza in 2010, although they filed for divorce this year.
Rivera’s musical talents were recognized worldwide. The singer sold over 15 million albums in her musical career. She was nominated for Latin Grammys in 2003, 2008, and 2010. She was also the first female Banda artist to sell-out back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City.
The star’s talents were not limited to music. She was also an entrepreneur with several companies under her name including Divina Realty, Divina Cosmetics, Jenni Rivera Fragrance, Jenni Jeans, the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation, and Divine Music. The multitalented Rivera also produced and appeared in reality show Chiquis & Raq-C, I Love Jenni, and the talent show La Voz…Mexico. The star also drew from her own experiences with domestic violence to become the spokeswoman for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. All of her charity work for her Los Angeles community led the city’s City Council to name August 6 “Jenni Rivera Day”.
Fans and stars around the world mourn a great loss. Tweets expressing extreme feelings of sadness and condolence flood twitter, and those who knew the star personally have expressed their shock and devastation at the unfortunate news. Her business partner and manager, Pete Salgado, stated “We lost an awesome woman, mother, sister, friend and artist.”
“La Diva De La Banda” may be gone, but she will never be forgotten. She is survived by her five children, her parents, and her siblings. Condolences to the Rivera family.
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