Jenny Dolores Rivera Saavedra (July 2, 1969 – December 9, 2012), better known as Jenni Rivera, was a Mexican-American singer known for her work within the banda and norteña music genres. She began recording in 1992, and her recordings often have themes of social issues, infidelity, and relationships. Her tenth studio album, Jenni (2008), became her first number-one album in the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the United States. In 2010, she appeared in and produced the reality TV show Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis & Raq-C. She also appeared in and produced I Love Jennistarting in 2011 and Chiquis 'n Control in 2012.

Rivera died in a plane crash near Iturbide, Nuevo León, México, on December 9, 2012.

Early life

Rivera, a Mexican American, was born in Long Beach, California. Her parents were Mexican immigrants who raised Rivera and her four brothers and sister (including Lupillo Rivera) in a tight-knit musical household. While still in high school, she became pregnant with the first of her five children, and married the child's father, José Trinidad Marín, in 1984. They divorced in 1992, and Rivera began her professional career that year.

Career

Rivera sold over 15 million albums worldwide and was nominated at the 2003, 2008 and 2010 Latin Grammys. A successful regional Mexican artist and entrepreneur, she started many companies, including Divina Realty, Divina Cosmetics, Jenni Rivera Fragrance, Jenni Jeans, Divine Music and The Jenni Rivera Love Foundation. Jenni Rivera became the first female Banda artist to sell-out a concert at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California, and became the first artist to sell-out two back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 6 and 7, 2010.

Rivera was a producer on the Mun2 reality TV show Chiquis & Raq-C, featuring her oldest daughter Janney Marin. She then appeared in the spin-off show I Love Jenni. Rivera worked as coach in the second season of the Mexican talent show La Voz... México, based upon The Voice franchise.v

Personal life

Rivera had three children with her first husband, José Trinidad Marín: Janney "Chiquis" Marín Rivera (born 1985), Jacqueline Marín Rivera (born 1989), and Michael Marín Rivera (born 1991). The couple divorced in 1992. In 2006, Marín was convicted of molesting Rivera's daughter Chiquis and a sister-in-law Rosie; Marín had been a fugitive since the case was opened in 1997. 

After divorcing Marín, Rivera married Juan López in 1997 and had two children with him: Jenicka López Rivera (born 1997), and Johnny López Rivera (born 2001). They divorced in 2003, and López died in 2009. Rivera married baseball player Esteban Loaiza in 2010. They filed for divorce in 2012.

On August 6, 2010, Rivera was named spokeswoman for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. A proclamation was given "officially naming" August 6 “Jenni Rivera Day” by the Los Angeles City Council for all her charity work and involvement in the community.

Death

At approximately 3:25 a.m. CST on December 9, 2012, a U.S. registered private Learjet 25 N345MC (manufactured in 1969) carrying two pilots and five passengers, including Rivera, lost contact with air traffic control near Iturbide, Nuevo León, Mexico. The plane had taken off from General Mariano Escobedo International Airport inMonterrey about 10 minutes earlier and was en route to Toluca for an appearance by Rivera on La Voz ... México.  All on board were confirmed dead by Mexican authorities when the wreckage was found later that day. Jenni Rivera's father Pedro Rivera confirmed in a Telemundo interview that his daughter had died in the crash. Univision has reported that the pilots of the plane had logged more hours on their shift than commercial airlines allow and that the plane had been involved in a 2005 fuel system incident.

Studio albums

• 2003: Homenaje A Las Grandes
• 2004: Simplemente La Mejor
• 2005: Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida
• 2006: En Vivo Desde Hollywood
• 2006: Besos y Copas Desde Hollywood
• 2007: Mi Vida Loca
• 2007: La DIva En Vivo
• 2008: Jenni
• 2009: Jenni: Super Deluxe
• 2009: La Gran Señora
• 2010: La Gran Señora En Vivo
• 2011: Joyas Prestadas (Banda)
• 2011: Joyas Prestadas (Pop)