Losing a parent is never easy, and Jenni Rivera's tragic death in a plane crash on December 9, 2012, caused her five beautiful children a lot of pain. It's hard to believe that so many years have passed since the world lost the singer. But one thing is for sure, she is in no danger of being forgotten. If anything, Jenni's fame continues to grow. When Jenni Rivera: Mariposa de Barrio, the biographical series based on the late singer’s autobiography, hit Netflix, it quickly hit the streaming service's top 10 in the US list.
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Her five kids also do much to keep her memory alive. They often post sweet tributes to her on social media with adorable throwback photos of moments they shared with their loving mamá. It's incredible how much has changed since Jenni was alive and how her kids have all grown up in front of our eyes. Even her youngest child—Juan Ángel López, who was only 11 when Jenni died—is now a grown man.
Although the family lost its matriarch, they continue to live by her values and principles, which has kept them close and in each other's lives. Jenicka and Juan Ángel "Johnny" López were so young at the time of their mom's plane crash, but Chiquis Rivera, Michael Marín, and Jacqie Rivera stepped up and took care of their youngest siblings. They have all changed and grown so much. Take a look at some of the cutest photos of Jenni Rivera's five kids through the years.
Jenni wrote the song "Pedacito de mi" for her youngest.
On February 11, 2021, Jenni's youngest turned 20, and to honor the occasion, the team at Jenni Rivera Enterprises posted a series of photos of Johnny and his mother. They also shared lyrics from "Pedacito de mi," a song that Jenni wrote for her baby boy.
Guess who this messy baby is?
It's Jacqie! If you swipe left, you'll see her looking much tidier later in her life. This was also posted to the Jenni Rivera Instagram account managed by Jenni Rivera Enterprises. It was in honor of Jacqie's birthday on November 30, 2020.
Guess which child is missing from this photo?
Welp, we spy Johnny, Chiquis, Jenicka, and Michael surrounding their mom, so that only leaves Jacqie. Either Jacqie is taking the picture, or she just wasn't up for pizza and coin-operated rides that day.
Jenni was glowing in this pic with her first three kiddos.
Jenni and her babies—Chiquis, Michael, and Jacqie—looked so adorable in their outfits. We love that the two girls were matching from head to toe. This is something Latina moms definitely love doing.
Michael Marin shared this throwback pic of himself and his mamá.
Jenni looks so different in this throwback! That's Michael sitting on her lap looking like he's not in the mood to take a photo. Imagine how much he must treasure this photo now.
Jenni and her two little ones posed for a sweet pic together.
It's so adorable that all of her kids have her features, especially her big smile. Johnny and Jenicka look so happy to be with their mom. Check out how much Jenicka looks like Jenni around the eyes in this picture.
This pic is so adorable.
This is definitely the kind of photo that her kids probably adore. Even her granddaughter has something to look back on to remember Jenni. Also, how cute does Jacqie look with braces?
This family portrait is making us so emotional.
No matter the situation, Jenni made sure her kids were always well taken care of. They all look like such a loving and happy family posing in front of their house.
Little Juan arrived in February 2001.
The little guy became Jenni's second son and her youngest baby, and their mom and son bond was truly special. It's truly heartbreaking that Jenni never got to see the man her son grew up to be.
It's so crazy that the little kid in this pic is all grown up.
They have all changed so much since these times. It's pretty amazing to think that Jenni had five children whose lives she was so involved in and still managed to be a superstar. Jenni's life was never easy.
Jenni shared such a special bond with her little boy.
Juan was always camera ready as a child, and that hasn't changed! That's probably why he now has thousands of followers on Instagram. The expression on his face is too darling, and Jenni looks stunning.
We can't take how cute they are!
The smile on Jenni's face while holding her son is everything. Johnny shared this pic to pay tribute to his mamá on the anniversary of her death. He looks as happy and at peace as any child could be in their mother's arms.
This photo is proof that there's nothing like a mother's hug.
Juan was only 11 when his mamá died, so we're glad there are so many photos of them together that he can treasure forever. There's really no upside to losing your mom at such a young age, but at least he has photos to remind him of moments.
This throwback Chiquis posted is so sweet.
How cute is this pic of them together in matching outfits? Jenni was the most adorable mom. She was hands on and really seemed to enjoy being a mom. Chiquis looks so darned lovely in this pic.
Juan Ángel's Instagram tributes to his mom honestly break our hearts.
"Happy Mother's Day from the bottom of my soul… It's amazing how much you're still impacting and teaching me even though I haven't been able to touch your beautiful face, be hugged in your arms, smell your beautiful scent, or hear you call me a [expletive]-face in almost five years," he captioned this pic. "I don't think there's an hour that goes by that you're not on my mind."
Chiquis was the cutest little baby!
Chiquis was her mom's right-hand girl. She helped her mom with her career and was always by her side. Sadly, at the end of Jenni's life, she was not speaking to Chiquis. “The world and my family lost Jenni on December 9, I lost my mother two months before on October 2. It was a misunderstanding. My world ended on that day,” Chiquis said in an interview.
We adore this pic of Jenicka and her mamá.
Jenicka is now in her 20s and has taken on the role of helping her big sister Chiquis the way she used to help their mom. Jenicka's dimples and sweet smile as she leans into her mommy are beautiful.
Juan has these beautiful mom-and-son selfies to look back on.
He was for sure his mom's little boy. Look how tiny he was in this pic! He's got little chipmunk cheeks and teeth. Jenni looks like she's loving being by his side. Such a poignant reminder that you will never regret showing your children love.
Jenni having some fun with her girls is the cutest.
Jenni was definitely the coolest, most down-to-earth mom. Chiquis and Jacqie look so young! So does Jenni, actually. Makes sense since Jenni was only 15 years old when she got pregnant with Chiquis.
This black-and-white pic of Jenni and Chiquis is so powerful.
Two truly ambitious and driven women determined to succeed on their own terms. Chiquis is a hardworking woman who clearly learned a lot from her mother who achieved so much in only 43 years of life.
Juan sees Chiquis as his second mom.
Juan and Chiquis have such a great relationship. The big sister took care of her little brother after their mom died, and now he has so much love and respect for her. It's a beautiful thing to see.
The three ladies looked so beautiful all dressed up.
This pic of Jenni and her two girls is so beautiful. They both look so much like their mom it's almost as if she's still here with us all through them. In many ways, they continue to carry on and honor their mother's legacy.
Michael was Jenni's first son.
First came Chiquis, then came Jacqie, and then came Michael. Jenni must have been so excited to welcome her first son into the world, and from the looks of it, they had a fun and loving relationship.
This is the last photo Juan took with his mom.
This pic was taken days prior to her fatal plane accident in December 2012. Johnny had no way of knowing that this would be the last photo he would ever get to take with his mom. They all look so happy while heading to the movies together.
We love seeing them so united.
They celebrate each other's birthdays to the fullest, like when Juan Ángel turned 14 and was surrounded with love from all four of his siblings. They should all be proud of how they show each other love and are present for each other.
A sibling selfie is a must when these five get together.
Michael has got his best frownie face going on, while Jenicka is sticking her tongue out. Chiquis and Jacqie are serving up cuteness, and Johnny's like, "Take the picture already!"
The siblings celebrated Mikey's 26th birthday together in 2017.
We know you can't tell everything from a picture or even many pictures, but the fact that these five manage to be in so many pictures together has got to mean that their closeness isn't just for show.
No matter what, they have each other.
These five have dealt with their fair share of tough moments in life, but the silver lining in their lowest points was that they had so many siblings right there to have their back.
Chiquis and her siblings are all grown up.
They have changed so much in these past few years. Juan Ángel is such a handsome young man, and his sisters get more and more beautiful with time. We hope that they always stay close.
The siblings represented their mom at the 2017 Latin American Music Awards.
They clean up nice! The ladies wore some gorgeous gowns and dresses, while the boys looked dapper in their suits. Even though they didn't go all matchy-matchy, they somehow complement each other perfectly.
