Dolores Janney "Jenni" Rivera Saavedra

 Dolores Janney "Jenni" Rivera Saavedra (July 2, 1969 – December 9, 2012)

She was a singer, songwriter, actress, television producer, spokesperson, philanthropist and entrepreneur known for her work within the Banda and ranchera music genres. In life and death, several media outlets including CNN, Billboard, Fox News, and The New York Times have labeled her as the most important female figure and top selling female artist in the Mexican music genre. Billboard magazine named her the "top Latin artist of 2013", and the "best selling Latin artist of 2013". Rivera began recording music in 1992. Her recordings often had themes of social issues, infidelity, and relationships. Rivera released her first studio album, Si Quieres Verme Llorar, in the late 1990s, 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 2000s, she was often criticized and was refused bookings at venues across California for performing Banda music—a male-dominated music genre. However, her popularity grew after she won the Lo Nuestro Award for Regional Mexican Female Artist of the Year in 2007, which she won nine consecutive times. She received four Latin Grammy nominations.

She has a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars, and she is one of the best-selling regional Mexican artists of all time, having sold more than 20 million records worldwide, also making her the highest-earning banda singer of all time. Aside from music, she was active in her community and donated her time to civic causes. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence appointed her its spokesperson in the United States. Rivera, along with six others, died in a plane crash near Iturbide, Nuevo León on December 9, 2012. Her death made international headlines for weeks. She is buried at All Souls Cemetery in Long Beach, California.'