• Venessa Villanueva is an American actress, best known for being the ex-wife of guitarist Chris Perez.
• She has a net worth estimated to be over $100,000.
• She is of Mexican descent and grew up in Texas, meeting her ex-husband Chris Perez through a mutual friend.
• She supported him during his depression and personal issues and they were together for eight years before marrying.
• They divorced in 2008 and since then Chris has remained close with Selena's family.
Contents
Who is Venessa Villanueva?
Venessa Villanueva was born in the United States of America and is an actress, best known for being the ex-wife of guitarist Chris Perez. Her ex-husband rose to fame as a member of the group Selena y Los Dinos. He supported and became the lover and husband of the frontwoman of the group, Selena, a romance that was abruptly cut off when she was killed by her former manager.
The Net Worth of Venessa Villanueva
Venessa Villanueva has a net worth estimated to be over $100,000. She has gained some income through acting, and probably benefitted from the success of her husband during their time together.
Chris has a net worth estimated to be over $1.2 million.
Life and Career
Venessa is of Mexican descent; her parents but moved to the US in search of greener pastures. While her exact location of birth is unknown, she grew up in Texas. She lived mostly out of the spotlight, meeting Chris Perez thanks to a mutual friend named John Garza. During that time, Chris was suffering from depression and other personal issues, and she supported him and helped him rise above his issues, leading the two to start a romance.
The two were together for eight years before marrying in 2006, but the strain in their relationship eventually proved too much, and they divorced in 2008. Vanessa subsequently pursued a career in acting, appearing in a few films. Her first project was entitled “Memphis Rising: Elvis Returns”, released in 2011, and telling the story of Elvis returning from another galaxy and desiring to live a normal life. One of her last projects was entitled “Forgotten Memories”, released in 2015.
Ex-Husband Chris Perez
Chris Perez is also of Mexican ancestry – his father worked as a computer programmer, but his parents divorced when he was five years old.
He started to learn music in school, and his first instrument was the French horn. Despite a lack of support from his mother, he next learned how to play the electric guitar, inspired by acts such as Iron Maiden, Kiss, Van Halen and Def Leppard. At the age of 17 he wanted to start a music career, and his first band was with Shelly Lares in 1986, with the band specializing in Tejano music. He helped the band transition away from Tejano music, which led to a lot more positive reception.
In 1989, he was invited by the band Selena y Los Dinos for a rehearsal, and was immediately asked to join the band. He enjoyed the music and work of the band, leading him to leave his first group. He became close friends with the band’s bassist, who encouraged him to experiment with their music, and within a year, the band started to gain a lot of attention, especially thanks to the skill of their frontwoman Selena.
Happy birthday #chrisperez @ChrisGPerez! https://t.co/b05rWMhksr pic.twitter.com/5tCcts1zEW
— World Music Awards (@WORLDMUSICAWARD) August 14, 2015
Selena y Los Dinos Short Success and Life After
Selena started to gain attention on her own, leading her to undertake solo projects away from the group, but before she left, the band had started gaining popularity in Texas, selling 80,000 copies of their music. After Selena’s death and his long recovery from grieving, Chris began writing music once more with John Garza, and created The Chris Perez Band. They signed with Hollywood Records before going to A&M Studios, and releasing their debut album and several songs dedicated to the late Selena.
The album “Resurrection” won a Grammy Award in 2000, and found a lot of traction with critics and listeners.
One of his latest projects is the book called “To Selena, With Love”, which describes their relationships and struggles; he was also accepted by Selena’s father. The book was therapeutic for him, helping him move forward, and he received praise for his work. Aside from the Chris Perez Band, he also has another band called The Chris Perez Project.
Personal Life
Before Villanueva met Perez, he was married to singer Selena as the two started a relationship a year after his introduction into the band. He grew close to her family, despite Selena’s father initially disapproving of their relationship. They eloped and married before he was accepted into the family. Following Selena’s death, he felt guilt, believing that it was his responsibility to protect her. He couldn’t eat much, and this spiraled into an addiction to alcohol as well as drugs. Villanueva became the light for him, as they started a relationship in 1998, marrying three years later.
They had two children during their marriage, but things eventually fell apart in the mid-2000s. Their relationship strained due to Perez not spending enough time with his family, and still showing signs of alcohol abuse. She wanted to repair the relationship, but then decided that things were irreconcilable. They divorced in 2008, and since then Perez has dedicated himself to his first love, Selena, and has remained close with Selena’s family.
1 Comment
Many of the details are not correct in the article it states. For example, Yolanda Saldívar killed Selena was not her manger, Yolanda Saldívar started Selena’s Fan club, and eventually oversaw the daily boutique operations. She stole money from Selena and the fan club. When confronted, the woman shot and killed Selena. She is still in prison today.