Abraham Quintanilla Jr., the polarizing father of the late Tejano legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, has died. He was 86.

Quintanilla Jr. died Saturday, Dec. 13, according to an Instagram post by his son, musician and songwriter A.B. Quintanilla III. "It's with a heavy heart to let you guys know that my Dad passed away today…," wrote A.B. on what was also his 62nd birthday.

No further information about the patriarch's cause of death was given.

In another social media post on Saturday, A.B. reflected on how losing his sister Selena over three decades is "still a daily struggle for me," but "losing my dad hits differently."

"I felt safe knowing his love and guidance was always available when I needed it most and now I won't be able to have that anymore," he wrote alongside a photo of his late father and sister. "He was a tough cookie but in this business you have to be!!! He taught SELENA and I that from the get go… Today I feel my heart is shattered in a million pieces…"

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, has reached out to Quintanilla Jr.'s Q-Productions for comment.

A.B. Quintanilla says 'life is so unfair' after father Abraham dies

In his lengthy Instagram post, A.B. wrote he felt "so sorry for my Mom who has to live with the pain of losing her baby and her husband," adding that "life is so unfair."

"Today is my BDay and and now for the rest of my life will mark something tragic that happened today," he wrote. "Losing my father." A.B. also thanked those who had sent their condolences and concluded his caption by writing that his father was "truly a genius and I will miss him."

Selena's father Abraham Quintanilla played a role in her rise to stardom

Born on Feb. 22, 1939, in Corpus Christi, Quintanilla Jr. began his music career with the group the Dinos in the 1950s. He discovered Selena's singing talent when she was a child and became instrumental in launching her music career, first through the band Selena y Los Dinos.

Selena's origin story – and the legacy that her family carries on – is shown in the new Netflix documentary "Selena y Los Dinos: A Family’s Legacy," which features interviews with those closest to her and never-before-seen footage from home videos. "I mean, you can't get any more real than having my mother and my father, my brother, her husband (guitarist Chris Pérez), my bandmates, and myself be a part of telling our story," Quintanilla Jr.'s daughter, Suzette Quintanilla, said in the doc.

A.B. shared that their father, the band's manager, envisioned his children as "The Mexican Jacksons."

Selena y Los Dinos, formed in 1981 by the patriarch, saw much success, and Selena's star continued to shine after she signed with EMI Latin in 1989. The "Amor Prohibido" singer earned her first Grammy Award in 1994 for best Mexican-American album, and a second gold-plated gramophone awarded posthumously in 2021 for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

At just 23, Selena was fatally shot in 1995 by Yolanda Saldívar, formerly the president of her fan club. Saldívar is serving a life sentence for the murder.

Abraham Quintanilla's reaction to Chris Perez, 'Selena' movie after her death

Quintanilla Jr. continued to oversee Selena’s legacy after her death through releases of her music and deals with brands, and was involved in several lawsuits over Selena-related media. Notably, he sued his former son-in-law, Chris Pérez, in 2016 to block a television series based on Pérez’s memoir "To Selena, with Love." The two agreed to dismiss the lawsuit in 2021.

In 1997, the patriarch attended the premiere of the "Selena" movie at the Tinseltown theater in Corpus Christi alongside Jennifer Lopez, who portrayed the Tejano icon, and other stars.

"It was very nice that so many people showed up," Abraham Quintanilla told Caller-Times reporter Mary Lee Grant during the after-party. "But no, it is not a comfort. I can't say that. I don't think anything could be a comfort. I have seen the movie four times now. It is just as hard every time. The movie is great but ... it is just very difficult."

Abraham is survived by his wife, Marcella Quintanilla, their daughter, Suzette Quintanilla, and son A.B. Quintanilla III.

Contributing: Pamela Avila, Erin Jensen, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Abraham Quintanilla, father of Tejano legend Selena Quintanilla, dies at 86

Reporting by Vicky Camarillo, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times

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