WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 30 years after her tragic death, the legendary Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla was recognized this week with a posthumous National Medal of Arts.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Monday honored Selena Quintanilla with a posthumous National Medal of Arts

  • The award is the highest honor given to artists and art patrons by the federal government

  • The late Queen of Tejano Music left a mark on the music industry and the Latino and Hispanic communities that is still felt today

  • Actress, director and philanthropist Eva Longoria, who was born in Corpus Christi, also received the award, along with the legendary San Antonio-born accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez

President Joe Biden honored the recipients at a ceremony on Monday. The award is the highest honor given to artists and art patrons by the federal government.

“The arts enrich our lives, helping us to ask questions, imagine new possibilities, and create community. The NEA is pleased to join President Biden in congratulating the 2022 and 2023 National Medal of Arts recipients whose curiosity, creativity, hard work, and dedication have inspired and touched so many in our country and around the globe,” National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson said in a statement.

Quintanilla dominated the Tejano music genre in the '90s before she was killed by her friend and president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, at the age of 23.

Before her death, Quintanilla’s career was thriving regionally in Texas and other states with large Spanish-speaking populations. She was already known as the Queen of Tejano Music and was likely on the verge of skyrocketing even further.

The singer was in the process of recording her first English-language crossover album, “Dreaming of You,” and many believe it would have brought her a wider audience and even more national success. The album was released four months after her death.

Since her death, Quintanilla's legacy has been honored in many ways, including immortalizing her with a statue in her home city of Corpus Christi, the 1997 movie about her life, “Selena,” the Netflix show “Selena: The Series” and a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021. The singer left a mark on the music industry and the Latino and Hispanic communities that is still felt today.

Quintanilla is among two other Texans who received the honor on Monday. Actress, director and philanthropist Eva Longoria, who was born in Corpus Christi, also received the award, along with the legendary San Antonio-born accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, congratulated the Texas-born recipients in a post on X and thanked Biden for honoring them.

Here is the full list of recipients:

  • Ruth Asawa (posthumous), artist  
  • Randy A. Batista, photographer 
  • Clyde Butcher, landscape photographer 
  • Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, museum and education center 
  • Melissa "Missy" Elliott, artist and producer 
  • Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenez, musician 
  • Eva Longoria, actress, director, and philanthropist 
  • Idina Menzel, actress and singer 
  • Herbert I. Ohta, musician 
  • Bruce Sagan, arts leader 
  • Carrie Mae Weems, visual artist
  • Mark Bradford, artist 
  • Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker 
  • Bruce Cohen, producer 
  • Alex Katz, artist 
  • Jo Carole Lauder, arts leader 
  • Spike Lee, filmmaker 
  • Queen Latifah, artist and actress 
  • Selena Quintanilla (posthumous), singer  
  • Steven Spielberg, filmmaker