Pedro Rivera’s children are Pedro Jr, Gustavo, Jenni, Guadalupe, Juan, and Rosa Amelia Rivera. They are all very popular Latin musicians, just like their father. Pedro’s kids have gone on to produce a total of 24 grandchildren, some of whom are already making contributions to make his legacy and dynasty a very great one.
Pedro Rivera was married twice in his lifetime to Rosa Saavedra and Juana Ahumada. His six children are from his first wife – Rosa Saavedra. He allegedly has a seventh child -Juan Carlos – whom the family has refused to acknowledge or accept. While Pedro has made a name for himself in the music and Latino entertainment industry, most people believe that his children and grandchildren remain his biggest legacy.
How Many Children Does Pedro Rivera Have?
Pedro Rivera has 6 biological children (with a rumored seventh child given birth to by his new wife). All his kids have very interesting personalities, so let us get to know more about them.
1. Pedro Rivera Jr. is the First of Pedro Rivera’s Children
Pedro Rivera Jr is the first of Pedro Rivera’s children, the product of his relationship-turned-marriage with a very young Ms. Rosa Amelia Saavedra, and he was born on 20 April 1964 in Sonora, Mexico. His father was still a struggling musician at the time of his birth, he had not yet reached the heights that he is currently known for in the Latino music industry. He was brought up in a music-loving family with very traditional family beliefs and is currently 59 years old.
Not much information is known about the early life of young Pedro Rivera Jr, other than the fact that their parents moved to the United States of America with him while he was still very young, in search of better opportunities for themselves and their very young family.
He is a Pastor and Singer Like His Father
Pedro Rivera Jr. – the first of Pedro Rivera’s children, decided to devote his life to the service of God, and he has been the Pastor of First Love Church, Long Beach, California, for a very long time now. It is not clear when he actually got involved in ministry, but he has been a man of the cloth for about 2 decades now. His life and career have been shaped by this singular decision of his.
Aside from being a pastor, Pedro Jr. is also a musician since he launched his career sometime in 2002. He is well known for singing worship songs – mostly in Latino, such as Yo Le Alamo de Corazon and Yo Te Agredesco, to mention a few.
Pedro Rivera Jr. is a Happy Family Man
Pedro River Jr. has been married to Ramona Rivera for more than 30 years now. The exact details of when and where he met his wife are not known, and it is interesting to know that they have managed to stay married for so long, even though they have had some marital challenges along the way.
The couple has been together for so long and has 4 wonderful children together and their names are – Jessica, Petey, David, and Alessandro.
2. Gustavo Rivera is the Second of Pedro Rivera’s Children
Gustavo Lawrence Rivera is the second of Pedro Rivera’s Children with Rosa Saavedra, and he was born in Sonora, Mexico, on March 1, 1966. He is currently 57 years old. Just like his brother, Pedro Jr., he was born into the Rivera household when they were still struggling in Mexico, and his parents couldn’t provide him with the luxuries of life that a child should be showered with.
As his birth increased the family size to 4, his parents began considering their options in life and what to do in order to provide the good things of life for their family and offspring. It is not clear whether it was Gustavo’s birth that finally prompted the Riveras to seek greener pastures outside Mexico, but they did so not too long after his birth.
He is also a Musician Like His Father
Pedro Rivera has always had music in his genes and bones, so it should come as no surprise that his children would take after him musically, as Gustavo also did. It is not known if Gustavo had any formal music training or if he just learned the ropes from his father. The earliest release of his music dates back to the mid-1990s with singles such as El Tijuanero, and he ranks as one of the most popular of Pedro Rivera’s children.
Some of the songs and albums that he has released over the years include notable ones such as La Balanza (2020), Put My Head On My Shoulder (2005), El Billette (2000), Amigo Mio (2004), and Before The Next Teardrop Falls (2015), just to mention a few.
Gustavo Has Been Married For About 3 Decades
It is not public knowledge when Gustavo Rivera met Martha Patricia Duarte and when their romance began. However, sometime in 1989, he got married to Martha Duarte, and they have been happily married for about 30 years now.
The couple gave birth to their first children – a twin consisting of a son, Gustavo Jr, and a daughter, Karina, in 1990. They have not given birth to any children during their marriage to date.
3. Jenni Rivera is the Third of Pedro Rivera’s Children
Jenni Rivera is the third child out of Pedro River’s children and the first that was born out of their homeland of Mexico. Shortly after the birth of Gustavo Rivera, both Pedro Rivera and Rosa Saavedra decided to seek greener pastures overseas and migrated to the United States of America, and eventually settled down in Long Beach, California. She was born on July 2, 1969, in Long Beach and is 54 years old.
Jenni Rivera spent most of her childhood in Long Beach, California, and had her early education there as well. She was very brilliant in school and was reported to have scored straight As in almost all of her subjects in school. When she turned 15, and while still in high school, she got pregnant with her first child, Janney “Chiquis” Marin Rivera, and had to drop out of school. However, some of her teachers saw too much promise in her academically and encouraged her not to give up on school.
She had to find a way to support herself and her baby, so she went on to sell Compact Disks at flea markets. She would eventually take her GED at a continuation college where she emerged the class valedictorian. She later went on to study at Long Beach College, where she obtained her first degree in Business Administration. After graduation, she first worked for a Real Estate firm before she went to work for her father on his record label.
Jenni Rivera is the Most Successful Musician of Pedro Rivera’s Children
Jenni Rivera was introduced to different genres of Latin music from childhood by her parents. Even though she didn’t initially embrace a career in entertainment from her youth, she couldn’t eventually resist the urge to make music. Ironically, she has turned out to be the most successful musician out of all of Pedro Rivera’s children. She released her first album in 1992, titled Somos Rivera (We Are Rivera) – which she released as a Father’s day present to her father.
She stated that it was extremely difficult for her to break into the male-dominated Latin music genre in America while also being told that she would never make it in the industry. Her first commercially accepted and successful album was released in 1999, titled Que Me Entierrer Con La Banda. In 2001 She released two albums – Dejale Amar and Se las Voy a Dar a Otro – which gave her her very first Grammy nomination in the Latin category. She would go on to release several other albums which further endeared her to millions of fans both in the United States and all over the world.
Jenni Rivera’s Nominations and Awards
Jenni Rivera is probably the most successful musician of all of Pedro River’s children. She received a total of 113 Award nominations, winning about 69 Awards – a summary of which includes 22 Billboard Latin Music Awards, 18 Lo Nuestro Awards, 11 Billboard Music Awards, 7 Premios de la Radio, and 5 Juventud Awards, to mention the significant ones.
In fact, Jenni Rivera won almost 30 of the Awards she did post post-humously after her tragic death in a plane crash in December 2012. In 2013, she was listed as the “Best Selling Artist” and “Top Latin Artist ” by Billboard. She has also been called the “Top Selling Female Artist In Regional Mexican Music” and “The Most Popular Female Figure in Regional Mexican Music” by the trio of the New York Times, Fox News, and CNN.
Jenni Rivera was Married Thrice in Her Lifetime
Jenni Rivera was not only very brilliant, but she was also very popular and attractive. These naturally endeared men to her. As stated earlier, she had her first daughter, Janney, when she was just 15, and the child’s father was Jose Trinidad Marin, who she was dating at the time. Jenni and Jose thereafter got married and had two more children – Jacqueline (1989) and Michael (1991). In 1992, she filed for divorce from her husband, citing the fact that she suffered both emotional and physical abuse from her husband.
5 years after her first divorce, she met and fell in love with Juan Lopez, whom she got married to in 1997. They went on to have 2 children together – Jenicka (1997) and Juan Angel (2001). She filed for divorce from her second husband in the early 2000s, which was eventually finalized in 2003.
Jenni fell in love again in the late 2000s and married her third husband, Estaban Loaiza, in 2010. Sadly, the marriage lasted for about two years before her tragic death in 2012. After her death, rumors began to surface that she and her third husband were going through their divorce process just months before she died. The divorce was never finalized, and she did not have any child with Estaban.
4. Guadalupe Rivera Saavedra is the Fourth of Pedro Rivera’s Children
After settling comfortably in Long Beach, California, the marriage of Pedro and Rosa Rivera produced Guadalupe Rivera, who is the fourth of Pedro Rivera’s children. He was born on January 30, 1972, in Long Beach, California, in the United States, and is currently 51 years old.
Lupilo spent all of his childhood in Long Beach, California, and the only academic record available about him is that he finished his schooling at Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1990. His passion and dream in life were far away from the music industry that his father was known for, as his plan was to become a restaurant owner.
His father, Pedro Rivera, would change the course of his career when he invited him in the mid-1990s to come work for his record label by helping to scout for young and upcoming talents in local bars around the neighborhood.
Guadalupe Rivera is an Award Winning Musician
Guadalupe Rivera was signed by his father to his record label in the mid-1990s, and the plan his father had for him was to learn the ropes from him about how to manage a record label and to source for local talents that could be signed up in the neighborhood. Somehow, the musician in Guadalupe began to emerge, and he began to record his own music himself.
In 1995, Guadalupe released his first album titled Selena, La Estrella. He followed up with two other albums in 1999 titled El Moreno and Puros Corridos Macizos. Between the years 2000 and 2010, he released 20 more albums, including Cartel de Tijuana, (2001), Amarcita Corazon (2002), Pa Corridos (2004), En Acustica (2008), and several others.
In 1999, as Guadalupe’s fame began to rise as a musician, and in the bid to break away from his father’s shadows, he decided to begin to use the name Lupilo Rivera as his music name. He is an accomplished songwriter and singer.
Lupilo Rivera’s Nominations and Awards
Lupilo Rivera has been in the Mexican and Banda music industry for almost 3 decades now, and some of his works have gotten the recognition they deserve in the form of nominations and awards received.
His first award won was in 2002 at the Lo Nuestro Awards, where he carted home three awards in the following categories – “Regional Mexican Album of the Year”, “Banda Artist of the Year,” and “Regional Male Artist of the Year” for his work such as Despreciado. In 2010, he finally won his first Grammy Award in the “Best Banda Music” category for his work titled Tu Esclavo y Amo.
He has also been nominated for quite a few other awards, which he obviously didn’t win, but his work was appreciated by the fans and award organizers.
Lupilo Rivera Has Been Married Twice
Lupilo Rivera got married quite early. He tied the knot with Maria Gunola in 1987, and their marital union produced 4 beautiful daughters – Arena Rivera Gunola, Abigail Rivera Gunola, Angelica Rivera Gunola, and Ayana Rivera Gunola. The couple filed for divorce in the early 2000s before their union finally came to an end in 2002.
Four years after his divorce from his first wife, Lupilo found love again and got married to Mayeli Alonso in 2006. Their marriage produced a daughter and son – Lupita Rivers Alonso and Rey Rivera Alonso. Sadly after 12 years, his second marriage also ended in a divorce, which was finalized in 2018.
5. Juan Rivera is the Fifth of Pedro Rivera’s Children
Juan Rivera is the last-born son of Pedro Rivera’s children and was named Juanacho Manuel Rivera Saavedra at the time of his birth. He was born on February 22, 1978, in Long Beach, California, where he spent all of his childhood. He is presently 45 years old.
Information about his childhood and academic pursuits is not readily known to the public, but we do know that he also had music shot up in his bones, just like his father and his siblings before him.
Juan Rivera is an Actor and Singer
We do not know if Juan Rivera had any formal education in music, but it would be safe to assume that he learned how to write and make music from his father, Pedro Rivera, and/or his older siblings. He released his first album, titled El Altizador, when he was only 18, having begun his music career two years earlier.
He is also known as an actor and has featured in films such as La dinastia de los Perez (1994) as Perez and Jefe de nadie in a very brief role as an extra. He has performed in television series such as the Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Juan Rivera may not have attained the heights his father and some of his older siblings have attained in the Latin music industry, but he is putting in his best for every effort that he has put out over the years.
Juan Rivera is a Happily Married Man
Juan Rivera has been in a long-term relationship with his partner, Brenda, for more than 20 years now, and in that very long relationship, they had four children along the way, namely – Marina Rivera, Divine Rivera, Frido Rivera, and Johnny Rivera.
Sometime in the late 2010s, both Juan and Brenda decided to finally seal their union as they got married, and have remained one big happy family ever since then.
6. Rosa Amelia Rivera is the Sixth of Pedro Rivera’s Children
Rosa Amelia Rivera is the sixth of Pedro Rivera’s children – especially of the marriage between Pedro Rivera and Rosa Saavedra. She was born on July 3, 1981, in the family’s home in Long Beach, California, and she spent most of her early life there. She is currently 42 years old.
Just like all of her older siblings, she spent most of her early life in Long Beach, California, but the details of her early life and educational background are not known. She is the only one of all of Pedro Rivera’s children who decided to break away completely from the mold of the family. She is known more popularly as Rosie Rivera.
Rosie Rivera Is A Reality Television Star and Businesswoman
As stated earlier, Rosie Rivera is the only child of all of Pedro Rivera’s children who decided not to go into the music business like her father and older siblings, rather she chose to become a reality television star and a businesswoman.
Her first foray into the reality show industry came in 2012 when she and her family began living with her older sister, who also happened to have a reality television show herself called I love Jenni. After the tragic death of her sister in December 2012, the pre-recorded shows that they had made still aired till 2013 before she left the show herself.
In 2014, Rosie began appearing in a new reality television show called Rica, Famosa y Latina, and as she began to grow in reputation and the followership of the show began to grow as well, she began to feature her older siblings on the show, which further helped to boost its ratings and fan base.
Sometime in late 2014, she was named the Chief Executive Officer of Jenni Rivera Enterprises – left in her care by the tragic death of her beloved sister, Jenni Rivera. She served in this position till mid-2021, when she resigned.
In 2016, she became an author by publishing her first book titled My Broken Pieces: Mending The Wounds From Sexual Abuse Through Faith, Family, and Love. She used the book to share the pains of sexual abuse that she went through herself and how she was able to overcome her emotional and physical trauma through her faith and the love and support of her family.
Rosie Rivera is Happily Married and Has Children
Rosie Rivera had her first child, a daughter named Kassandra, in 2003 when she was 22 with her boyfriend at the time – known simply as Chief. In 2011, she got married to Abel Flores, and two years later, they had their first daughter, Samantha (who was her own second child).
A son followed two years later, and they named him Elias Melek Flores. She is currently married to Abel, and they are enjoying their time together.
7. Pedro Rivera Had a Son Out of Wedlock
Sometime in 2002, word got out that Don Pedro Rivera had a son named Juan Carlos out of wedlock following an extra-marital affair he got involved in with Erika Alonso. Pedro Rivera was still married to his first wife, Rosa Saavedra, at the time, and this affair was part of what led to the couple’s separation and divorce.
All the children of Pedro Rivera – except Lupilo Rivera, refused to accept young Juan Carlos as one of their siblings, and to date, he has still not yet been accepted as part of the family. In fact, they have all resolved not to even acknowledge his existence.
Rumors of Another Pedro Rivera’s Children With His New Wife
Pedro Rivera’s marriage to his first wife and mother of his first six children ended in divorce in 2008 due to rumors of infidelity on his part with his long-term Personal Assistant, Juana Ahumada. His ex-wife accused Pedro Rivera of being in an 8-year relationship with Juana, and that was the basis on which their marriage ended.
Sometime in 2019, Pedro Rivera got married to Juana in a very private event and only shared that information with the public a couple of months later. There are rumors flying around that his marriage to Juana has produced a son, while some other schools of thought believe that this is not the case with the couple and that their marriage is yet to produce any offspring.
The fact that Juana has lived a very private life is not also helping matters, as she has refused to share any information about her family with the public, nor is she very prominent as both her husband and step-children are on Social Media. So, this can only be treated as a rumor for now.
Pedro Rivera’s Children Have Been Involved In Some Controversies
The Rivera Brothers (Gustavo And Lupilo) Unending Feud
Shortly after their sister, Jenni Rivera’s traffic death in a plane crash in December 2012, the family sent both Gustavo and Lupilo to go and identify Jenni’s body and personal effects after the crash.
Trouble began when Lupilo Rivera alleged that his brother Gustavo had taken pictures and videos of the remains of their sister – which should have been a very private affair and which should not be subject to public consumption. He seemed to have also insinuated that his brother had compromising pictures of their sister, which was not appropriate to have, as he himself had refused to see his sister’s corpse but rather preferred to have images of her while she was still alive imprinted permanently in his memory.
In March 2013, Lupilo accused Gustavo of leaking some of the pictures they took while identifying Jenni’s remains to the public, and this rubbed off the wrong way. Gustavo attacked Lupilo’s truck – which had his family inside, with a baseball bat while threatening to beat him down.
This was the beginning of the non-ending feud between the two brothers, which created a great chasm between both brothers, and which has yet to heal or be mended despite efforts of family members – especially their mother, to reconcile her feuding children.
Jenni Rivera Has Been Involved in Several Controversies
Jenni Rivera was a very successful Latin singer, and sometimes controversies come hand-in-hand with fame. The timeline of some of the controversies associated with her while she was still alive is detailed below –
June 2008: She was performing at a concert in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, when a fan threw a can of beer from the crowd, which hit her on her right thigh. She stopped performing and asked the crowd to help her identify the individual who threw the beer can at her. When the individual was identified, she asked him to climb on stage, and she proceeded to verbally and physically assault him.
The fan reported the assault to the Police, and after she concluded her concert, she was arrested and detained for a few hours by the police and was only released after she had paid a $ 3,000 fine.
October 2008: A sex video began circulating online, which had Jenni Rivera in it, and this caused some issues for both the artist and her family.
May 2009: While Jenni Rivera was traveling through Mexico City International Airport, she was arrested by Customs officials at the airport for failing to declare $ 52,467 in cash that was in her possession. The New York Daily News had reported that Jenni Rivera worked as an entertainer for drug cartels, and suspicion of the Customs officials may have been raised following that story. She was released and allowed to go after she was made to pay $ 8,400 in fines.
Juan Rivera’s Feud With Jenicka Rivera
Sometime in 2022, Jenicka Rivera Lopez – one of the late Jenni Rivera’s children, took to her social media handle to inform the whole world that her uncle, Juan Rivera, and his wife Brenda, were threatening her life. She went further to state that should anything happen to her, her uncle Juan should be blamed for it.
She claimed that her uncle told her to be scared as he intended to mess her up if she didn’t show him the respect he deserved. Juan Rivera, in his own defense, used his own Social Media handles to deny ever threatening his niece, instead stating that all her accusations were figments of her imagination.
It is believed that the financial accountability of Jenni’s estate was at the root of the feud between Jenicka, her uncle- Juan, and his wife. Sometime later in an interview Juan had, he used the opportunity again to clear his name and to deny ever threatening his sister’s child. He broke down in tears at a point during his interview, asking his sister Jenni’s forgiveness for the issues he’s had with her children and for failing them.
Rosie Rivera Allegedly Misappropriated Funds From Jenni Rivera’s Businesses
Rosie Rivera was named the Chief Executive Officer of Jenni Rivera Enterprises towards the end of 2014 – almost two years after her sister Jenni died under tragic circumstances in December 2012, when her plane plunged head first over 28,000 feet, killing all passengers and crew in the process.
Rosie was quite close to Jenni before her death, so her appointment was sanctioned by all parties interested in ensuring that Jenni Rivera’s businesses and estate were well run after her death. However, the five children that Jenii left behind began to raise allegations that their Aunt was misappropriating the finances of the organization she was presiding over.
There were back-and-forth accusations and counter-accusations between Rosie and Jenni’s children over the finances of their mother’s estate, and finally, in the middle of 2021 – almost 7 years into the job, Rosie quit her position as the Chief Executive Officer of Jenni Rivera Enterprises – leaving the management of its affairs to the children of the deceased.
Rosie Rivera was Sexually Assaulted By Her Sister’s Ex-Husband
Sometime in 1996/1997, Rosie Rivera accused her sister, Jenni Rivera’s first husband – Jose Trinidad Marin, of sexually molesting her, and the first child of the marriage between her sister and Jose Marin – Janney “Chiquis” Marin Rivera. She reported this to the authorities, and an investigation commenced into her allegation.
As part of the requirements to be fulfilled during an investigation to proceed further, she was asked to take a test to prove that she was actually sexually assaulted by Jose Marin, as she claimed. She took the test, and the results did prove that she was actually sexually assaulted. The investigations into her case then commenced fully.
After the authorities concluded their investigation, Jose Trinidad Marin was actually declared wanted by the authorities, but he turned fugitive and ran from the law for about 9 years. Eventually, the long arm of the law caught up with him in 2006, and he was tried and sentenced by a Jury to 31 years in prison on 8 felony counts – including 1 count of aggravated sexual assault, 1 count of continuous sexual assault (against his daughter) and 3 counts of a lewd act against a child, among others.
Who are Pedro Rivera’s Grandchildren?
Pedro Rivera’s children all have their own families right now, and over the years, they have given birth to 24 children altogether, which makes him a grandfather to 24 grandchildren.
The names of Pedro Rivera’s grandchildren are listed below –
- Jessica Rivera
- Petey Rivera
- David Rivera
- Alesandro Rivera
- Gustavo Jr Rivera
- Karina Rivera
- Janney “Chiquis” Marin-Rivera
- Jacqueline Marin-Rivera
- Michael Marin-Rivera
- Jenicka Rivera Lopez
- Juan Angel Rivera Lopez
- Arena Rivera Gunola
- Abigail Rivera Gunola
- Angelica Rivera Gunola
- Ayana Rivera Gunola
- Lupita Rivera Alonso
- Rey Rivera Alonso
- Divine Rivera
- Frido Rivera
- Marina Rivera
- Johnny Rivera
- Kassandra
- Samantha Flores
- Elias Melek Flores
Despite all the controversies surrounding the family, Pedro Rivera’s children and grandchildren have continued to uphold their family values. They are the greatest legacy that Pedro Rivera continues to boast of.
