Selena Quintanilla-Perez officially has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Her fans can finally rejoice because all of their hard work and loyalty has truly paid off. First, it was a Mac makeup line, then a wax figure and now the late singer finally has a star in Hollywood.
The Tejano music star was honored with a posthumous star, and her family and loyal fans were there to receive it in her name.
"Selena was an angel," Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "While she was taken from us way too early, we now have something permanent that generation after generation after generation can see in the most famous neighborhood anywhere in the world."
Victor Gonzalez from Universal Records presented the Quintanilla family with two commemorative plates. First one was in recognition of Selena's seven diamond albums, the second one was for Selena's 75 platinum career singles.
Eva Longoria, a fellow Texan like Selena, also spoke to honor the "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom singer."
"It's beyond humbling to stand here on behalf of a person that I myself owe so much to," the actress said while fighting back the tears. "I promised myself I wasn't going to cry."
"Because as Eric said, this star isn't only for Selena, it's for every Latina who's out there, who has ever had a dream," Longoria continued. "Growing up there was no reflection of me anywhere, not on TV, not in movies, not in music, and it was as if someone like me didn't exist in American mainstream. That all changed when a bright, young singer named Selena came and changed the landscape of music entertainment.
"Inevitably changing my own journey. What wasn't even ever heard of was now a beat that pulsed so loudly that it vibrated across America and across the world. Selena's voice was a key that unlocked the hearts and minds of millions. She was a small town girl with a big heart and a smile that radiated and captivated people everywhere. That small town was my hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas."
In the past, the Desperate Housewives alum has spoken about how she always felt connected to Selena because of their roots.
"She was the face I finally saw that looked like mine, she validated my existence, and she proved to the world that we existed, us Mexican Americans. She straddled the hyphen of what it meant to be as American as apple pie and as Mexican as enchiladas," Longoria said laughing. "I, too, didn't speak Spanish growing up, but I felt so connected to my culture despite that. She gave me an identity. Not only for myself but also for an entire community. She created a path when there wasn't one.
"And she did all of this before the age of 23. She accomplished more in her youth than most of us can dream of in a lifetime. So even though Selena's own star burned briefly, stars like hers burn so brightly and so intensely that the time that the time that you're allowed with them is never long enough.
"We lost her way too soon, but we can honor her here tonight by cementing her place amongst the stars, where she belongs. Selena, your voice was heard and tonight, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives, we honor that voice by continuing to blaze more trails for more Latinas in honor of you," Longoria concluded.
Her sister Suzette Quintanilla not only helped with the preparation of the star, she also accepted it in honor of her sister and family.
"I feel like we've crossed different generations. We're now in a whole new generation of millennials and I'm very grateful on behalf of my family and myself for them embracing her and finding her," Suzette said. "I want to keep this short and sweet. I want to thank my parents, especially my father for having that vision and being able to guide us throughout our whole career and for teaching us that we can succeed as long as we put in hard work. I hope that sets the example for all of our youth that's out there."
"I think Selena said it best, 'The impossible is possible.'" she continued. "I'll leave you with this, Selena said, 'The goal isn't to live forever, but to create something that will.' And I think tonight is a perfect testament of that."
Also in attendance Angelica Maria, Angelica Vale, Gregory Nava, Selena's widower Chris Perez, Selena's brother A.B. Quintanilla, Selena's band Los Dinos, and Edward James Olmos.
All of the speakers walked over and unveiled the star while fans cheered and screamed, "We love you, Selena!"
Perez along with Selena's parents and brother then walked over for photos. That's when the late singer's husband placed white roses over the star.
Thursday night, Perez passed by the star before fans and the media gathered the following day.
"Had to stop by, give a kiss, and say, 'I'll see you tomorrow,'" the musician captioned a photo of the concealed star on Hollywood Boulevard.
Fans can visit the star which is located in front of the Capitol Records building at 1750 Vine Street or watch the live stream of the ceremony on YouTube.