Jenni Rivera

Romeo Santos, commonly known as The King of Bachata, was not unpredictably the top winner at the 2015 Latin Music Awards, scooping ten separate accolades for his work as a musician and producer while Latino heartthrob Enrique Iglesias came in close behind with nine prizes.

Enrique Iglesias wins big at Latin Music Awards

The former Aventura frontman was not only Artist, Producer and Songwriter of the Year, but he also stormed the Tropical categories with awards for Tropical Songs Solo Artist of the Year and Albums Solo Artist with his second album 'Formula, Vol. 2' winning Tropical Album of the Year and Top Latin Album of the Year and his single 'Odio' featuring Drake scooping the Tropical Song of the Year. His other two awards were Hot Latin Songs Male Artist and Top Latin Albums Male Artist.

Continue reading: Enrique Iglesias Is Second Biggest Victor At 2015 Latin Music Awards

Jenni Rivera's fans will get an unexpected gift this summer, when the late singer's memoir is published in both English and Spanish by Simon & Schuster, according to the Associated Press. Rivera completed the book shortly before her tragic death at the age of just 43, in a plane crash last December.

The Mexican-American singer's sister Rosie Rivera said the memoir captures the true essence of her sister's indomitable spirit. "I miss my sister every moment, but on days that I want to feel her close, I open her book written in her own words, and feel her right next to me," she said in a statement from Atria. She added that the book - entitled Unbreakable - will allow fans to "enjoy her as we have." The publisher behind the book describes it as "an intimate look into the heart and soul of this self-made woman, who ascended to the top of the charts against all odds, becoming a legend in a completely male dominated music category."

Born in Los Angeles, the Latin star started her career selling cassette tapes at flea markets before going on to sell over 15 million albums worldwide. She was noted for her work in the largely male dominated grupera genre - a type of Mexican folk music.

Continue reading: Unbreakable: Jenni Rivera's Memoir To Be Published, Seven Months After Death

Filly Brown had its début at the Sundance Film Festival midway through 2012, garnering a strong opening with some great reviews. However, no one could foretell the tragedy that would befall one of its stars: Jenni Rivera. The iconic Latino singer died in a plane crash in December 2012, and Filly Brown was her first, and sadly last film role. The official trailer has now been released and the movie has finally been given a release date of April 13th 2013, after much debate over whether it should be released at all.

Filly Brown is the story of the eponymous latter-day generation Latino street poet who tries desperately to fix her broken family, which fell apart as a result of drug abuse and crime, through the use of rap. In her rise to stardom she comes up against many challenges and plenty of people trying to knock her down - her father, played by Lou Diamond Phillips, is one of her biggest obstacles. 

Not only is this movie a big deal because of Rivera's co-starring role, but also because of the demographic it centres around. The Huffington Post quotes Edward James Olmos on the importance of seeing Latino culture in mainstream movies. "We represent 16% of the population of the country, but we have less than 2% of the images on film and television." He says, praising the movie, "Filly Brown is made for a universal audience, but it could become the first major Latino breakthrough film to be embraced by the entire Latino community in full. It's a story that digs deeply into the family and into music...two elements that Latinos love." 

Continue reading: Jenni Rivera's First And Last Acting Role In Filly Brown For April Release (Video)

Thousands of mourners have paid tribute to the late Banda singer Jenni Rivera, who was killed in a plane crash on December 9, 2012. According to BBC News, Rivera’s children were amongst the 6,000 people in attendance at the service which took place at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Los Angeles.

Jenni’s son Michael, aged 21, told those gathered to pay their respects, “We're not here to mourn the death. We're here to celebrate the life and graduation of a singer, an entertainer, a diva, a fighter, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and more than anything, a mother - the best mother.” Her manager, Pete Saldago, also paid tribute to Rivera “Jenni made it OK for women to be who they are… Jenni also made it OK to be from nothing, with the hopes of being something.” Rivera’s youngest child, Johnny, whose father is also deceased, said “Mam, I’ve been crying so much these last few days. I miss you so much. I hope you’re taking care of my dad and I hope he’s taking care of you, too.”

The several thousand of Rivera’s fans reportedly lined up to lay white roses on her bright red coffin, at the end of the service. “I just came to say goodbye to a Latina woman, La Gran Senora,” said one of her fans, Veronika Flores, who has driven for eight hours from California to attend the service.

Fans and family members of the late singer Jenni Rivera are gathering today for a memorial service billed as a "celestial graduation." Pedro Rivera Jr, one of Jenni's five brothers, will lead the service at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.

The Banda singer, who sold more than 15 million albums, died with six others in a plane crash in northern Mexico. She was 43 years-old and had five children and two grandchildren. Her soulful singing style and honesty about her personal life won her fans in both South America and the U.S. Tickets for Wednesday's memorial sold out in minutes, though some critics suggested that the decision to require a credit card and photo ID is excluding illegal immigrants from attending, reports the Los Angeles Times. The tickets were completely free, though LiveNation required those seeking seats to use plastic to pay a $1 refundable fee. Ticketholders are required to bring their credit cards and a matching photo ID to gain entry. Josh Kun, associate professor at USC's Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, tweeted, "I have a ticket to the Jenni memorial only because I have a credit card and web access #LiveNation #CulturalFail. It's the privatization and politicization of mourning."

Rivera was killed on December 9, 2012, when a Learjet 25 crashed near Iturbide, Mexico.

In a rather unsavoury update to an already tragic story, two cops are being questioned over the alleged looting of Jenni Rivera’s plane, which crashed, killing her and everyone on board, Sky News reports.

Mexican officials have confirmed that the investigation started due to photos discovered on the cop’s cell phone, which, rather disturbingly, contained scenes of the wreckage, body parts and personal documents. Since then, those investigating the case have found items belonging to the victims in the officer’s houses. Government officials confirmed that they arrested the policeman, along with the second officer, who is 24. The horrible crash occurred on Wednesday, when the jet descended near vertical, attaining speeds of over 600 mph before impact. Elsewhere in this complicated case, the US Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the company which owns a luxury jet that crashed, killing the Mexican pop superstar. The DEA confirmed on Thursday that earlier this year it seized two planes belonging to Starwood Management in Texas and Arizona, The Guardian Reports.

The man widely believed to be behind the aviation company is an ex-convict named Christian Esquino. The 50-year-old Mexican was indicted in Florida in the early 1990s along with 12 other defendants in a major cocaine smuggling investigation. Since then, he served about five months in prison before being released, despite being sentenced to 5 years for conspiring to conceal money from the tax authorities.

The remains of the late singer Jenni Rivera have been identified and returned to her family, following her death in a plane crash on sunday, CNN have reported.

The Spanish-American starlet was flying from the northern city of Monterrey on her way to Toluca with six others, all members of her touring party, when her plane crashed shortly after take-off. Although officials were reluctant to consider her death at first, their fears were realised later through the week when her remains were discovered and identified by her three brothers Lupillo, Juan and Gustavo.

Details on the crash are still a little sketchy, with new information into the ill-fated flight Rivera was on being released with each passing day. According to Mexican officials, her plane plunged from around 28,000 feet only a short while after take-off, but as of yet no explanation has been given as to what may have cause the crash.

Continue reading: Remains Of Jenni Rivera's Body Identified And Handed Back To Her Family

Jenni Rivera’s phenomenal career success was not built on a life of privilege but rather one of hardship and struggle. Her 43 years on this planet were marked as indelibly by the highs of her career as they were by the lows of her personal life. Now, the ‘Diva of Banda’ is being mourned, following her death in a plane crash on Sunday (December 9, 2012).

Rivera was born in Long Beach, California, to Mexican parents, Rosa and Pedro. They named her Jenny Dolores Rivera Saavedra. Jenni Rivera had her first child at the age of 15 when she was still a high school student. She went on to have two more children with her husband José Trinidad Marín. She left José when she discovered that he had abused two of their children. He was arrested, she went on to marry again in 1997 and have two more children. She divorced her second husband Juan López in 2003 and he died in 2009.

Despite the personal turmoil and hardship that she suffered, Rivera released her debut, groundbreaking album in 1995. A series of Platinum and gold-selling albums followed, with heart-wrenching ballads focusing on infidelity, relationships and social issues. “In Mexico, she represented a lot of ladies that can't talk about their feelings,” her godfather Jose Garza told CNN. She may have been the first woman to sell out two nights at LA’s Nokia Theatre, she may have been the first female Banda artist to sell out California’s Gibson Amphitheater but Rivera always insisted that it wasn’t her talent alone that ensured her success. “It is very flattering when they tell me I'm a great artist and performer… But I am a businesswoman, I'm primarily business-minded.” 

Continue reading: The Diva Of Banda Mourned - A Look Back At Jenni Rivera's Troubled Life

In tragic news, it looks like the multi-million selling Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera has died after a small plane that she and several others were travelling in crashed in the mountains of Northern Mexico.

Rivera’s brother Gustavo Rivera told CNN news that his sister, who boasted over 15 million record sales, was among six people on board, including her publicist, lawyer, a family friend and two pilots. Rivera’s father had claimed that there were seven people on board, although he did not identify who. Certainly, if the director of Civil Aviation Alejandro Argudin is to be believed, there was little hope for the singer. "The aircraft was destroyed, totally fragmented," he told CNN.

A three-time Latin Grammy Award nominee, Rivera had enjoyed sensational success singing in the Mexican tongue – though she was born in California. The singer released her first album Homenaje A Las Grandes in 2003 and, as well as 12 more albums, she became the first artist to sell out back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Recently she had been hoping to emulate fellow Spanish-speaking star Shakira and cross over globally to an English-speaking audience. Alongside her singing career was a turbulent personal life which saw her become a single mother aged just 15 years old, going on to become a mother of five. She had also been married three times. Currently she had been serving as a judge on the TV show The Voice Mexico.