Jenni Rivera had a secret she hoped would never be revealed. The Mexican-American superstar of banda music, who died seven years ago at age 43, was getting death threats before the plane crash that took her life and that of several others on Dec. In a chilling, never-before-aired interview with Mexican radio personality Pepe Garza, the California-born Rivera opened up about that experience and how it haunted her. Garza recalls that day when Rivera, who was visiting the studio, asked him to interview her immediately. She was clear that she wanted the private conversation to be between only the two of them. In the interview, Rivera talked about multiple death threats she received via email, phone calls and message boards. Despite the threats, their mother was never visibly nervous, said Johnny. Reflecting on her career, Rivera talked about shifting her attention away from singing and her dream of having her own TV and radio shows in Los Angeles so she could be closer to her fans.


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Rivera was the daughter of a self-made Latin recording mogul, and she began her singing career in the s. Her experiences as a divorced mother of three informed her brassy and sometimes confrontational lyrics, which were primarily in Spanish though she was fluent in English as well. She sold more than 15 million albums and received numerous nominations for Latin Grammy Awards. She also had recently explored a career as a reality-TV star. Rivera was killed in a plane crash. Jenni Rivera. Article Media.
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Billboard magazine named her the "top Latin artist of ", and the "best selling Latin artist of ". Rivera began recording music in Her recordings often had themes of social issues, infidelity, and relationships. Rivera released her first studio album, Si Quieres Verme Llorar , in the late s, failing to attain commercial success; however, she rose to prominence in the United States and Mexico with her major-label debut, Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida. In the early s, she was often criticized and was refused bookings at venues across California for performing Banda music—a male-dominated music genre.
Rivera produced 15 gold, 15 platinum and 5 double-platinum records. Later, this songstress became a reality-TV star, businesswoman and activist. Tragically, she died in a plane crash at age 43 on December 9, Rivera's parents, Rosa Saavedra and Pedro Rivera, discovered they were expecting while illegally crossing from Mexico into the United States. Rivera's youth wasn't easy. She got pregnant at 15 by Trino Marin, and her parents booted her out of their house.