Although her closest relationships were with her mom, her daughters, and her sister, Rosie, banda superstar Jenni Rivera was mainly defined by the work ethic passed onto her by her father, her fierce loyalty to her brothers, and her very difficult romantic relationships, including three failed marriages and a secret love, some of which is chronicled in the televesion series about her life Mariposa De Barrio, which is now streaming on Netflix.
La Diva de la Banda was a teenage bride and mother. She had three kids with her first husband, Trino Marín: Janney (aka Chiquis), Jacqie, and Trino Jr. (aka Michael). Her second husband, Juan López, was the father of her younger two children, Jenicka and Johnny. Jenni Rivera was in the process of divorcing her third husband, Esteban Loaiza, at the time of her death.
But none of these men were really the most important men in her life over a long period of time. Jenni had a secret love and kept her brothers and dad very close. These are their stories and the story of their relationship with La Diva de la Banda.
Michael Marín is Jenni Rivera’s first son.
Jenni Rivera’s son
Her third child and oldest boy, Mikey had already made Jenni an abuela by the time she died at just 43 years old. Much like his father, José Trinidad Marín — who was sentenced to more than 30 years in jail on sexual abuse charges — Michael has had ongoing issues with the law. He too has been accused of molestation and was even charged with vandalism.
Her baby, Juan “Johnny” Ángel, was her heart.
Johnny was only 11 years old when his mom died. This is the last photo they took together. Now, nine years later, it’s clear he still misses her. Johnny recently came out of the closet, and we’re sure Jenni would have approved.
Nothing was stronger or more important for Jenni Rivera than family.
While her children were the center of her life, her dad and brothers were her backbone. She seemed to have an unbreakable bond with them that endured many trials throughout her short life.
Jenni’s dad, Pedro Rivera, cast a long shadow in her life.
Jenni Rivera’s Dad Pedro Rivera
Jenni’s father, Don Pedro Rivera — who is also a singer and actor himself — was very close with Jenni. Don Pedro had many children whose careers he helmed, and many of them remain incredibly loyal to him.
Pedro Rivera Jr. was a source of faith.
And Jenni Rivera was his rock. “She was a great sister. A great friend who never abandoned me. I miss my great friend so much”, wrote the eldest of the Rivera siblings when he posted this image on Instagram.
Gustavo and Jenni Rivera were close in age.
Gustavo is the second oldest and the brother who came before Jenni. Just a few years apart in age, they were friends and collaborators. Jenni and Gustavo worked together on their music and relied on each other in life.
Jenni Rivera had huge fights with her brother Lupillo Rivera.
They had actually reconciled before Jenni’s last days. Lupillo and Jenni were often at odds and seemed to feud frequently, but before her tragic death in an airplane crash, they reportedly made amends and were at a good place in their relationship.
Jenni’s brother Juan Rivera was her sidekick.
He used to travel with her often and acted like a mix of personal assistant and bodyguard. Jenni Rivera also supported his musical career. He was much younger than Jenni, but they worked side by side and built a strong bond over the years.
Jenni Rivera’s designer, Adan Terriquez, was a longtime partner.
Adan made most of the important and iconic dresses of her career. They were also developing a line of quinceañera dresses, which was launched later in a collaboration between the designer and Jenni’s daughters.
Her glam squad was led by the men who died by her side.
Jacob Yebale and Mario Macías were her makeup and hair experts. Arturo Rivera, the man in the back of this pic, was her public relations agent. This was their last photo ever, taken on the plane minutes before their death.
Jenni Rivera married Trinidad Marín when she was just 15 years old.
Trinidad Marín
Jenni revealed that she was a victim of domestic violence while married to Trinidad Marín, who was also found guilty of sexual abuse against his daughter Chiquis and Jenni’s sister, Rosie Rivera. He is currently serving a 31-year prison sentence.
Juan López was Jenni Rivera’s second husband.
Juan López
Jenni married Juan López even though he had been in jail for six months while they were dating, accused of smuggling undocumented immigrants. After their divorce due to repeated infidelities, Juan was convicted of drug dealing charges and died in jail.
Esteban Loaiza was a big disappointment in Jenni Rivera’s life.
Esteban Loaiza and Jenni Rivera
Her third husband, Esteban Loaiza, was a retired Mexican Major League Baseball player. At the time of her death, Jenni was in the proces of divorcing him. While she never revealed the reasons, calling them “too ugly” to be made public, it was later known that she thought he had stolen from her and was having an affair with Chiquis.
El Pelón was her secret love.
Few people outside Jenni Rivera’s family knew about his existence, until their love story was included in Jenni Rivera’s autobiography Unbreakable. She even included a photo of him in the book, marking the first peek many people got of him.
Before her death, she spent a lot of time with Beto Cuevas.
She and the “La Ley” singer were coaches for the Mexico edition of La Voz, and they seemed to grow quite close while filming the show, sparking suspicion that they had struck up a close relationship.
Miguel Bosé was also a fellow judge on ‘La Voz.’
They became very close, to the point that the Spanish singer broke down in tears during a concert, while dedicating his iconic song “Amiga” to La Diva de la Banda after her death. They knew each other for a long time, both having come up in the Latin music scene.