Jenni Rivera vs. Graciela Beltran: Beltran Stirs Controversy By Tweeting That She 'Is Still Alive and Can Surpass Rivera'

Jenni Rivera's death has sparked a lot of controversy surrounding the late diva. The family members of victims in the crash are suing her and the jet owners and she is being accused of involvement with the Mexican cartel. Even her brother is being accused of exploiting her death for his own financial gain.

However, one of the more popular controversies going on right now is with rival Banda singer Graciela Beltran. The two became rivals back in 2009 when Rivera published a song which Beltran interpreted as an indirect attack on her. While Rivera had been known as "La Diva de la Banda," Beltran is often called "La Reina de la Banda" or the "Queen of Banda." In her song Ovarios (Ovaries), Rivera's lyrics said the following, "las que dicen ser reinas, son de un pueblo abandonado (those who claim to be queens, rule an abandoned people)."

Rivera claimed that the lyrics were dedicated to Alicia Villarreal who was coming out with a CD at the time, but Beltran ignored Rivera's comments. Beltran then publicly called Rivera "false, hypocritical, jealous, and vulgar." This set off a rivalry that has lasted until the end of Rivera's life and even past it.

Just a few days ago, Beltran was caught on Twitter battling with a Rivera fan. The fan @fansgracielab wrote on Beltran's Twitter account that "Rivera was the number one diva and queen of Banda." Beltran answered that there was never any intention to tell others to change their artistic preferences. The fan then added, "With all due respect, but no one will ever get close to being as great as Jenni Rivera. They lack too much." This set off Beltran, who responded that, "One should never use the word NEVER when talking about the future. I am still ALIVE and my chances of achieving more than her are greater."

That last comment set off tremendous controversy among Hispanic media who claimed that Beltran was being insensitive. In an interview with Univision's Primer Impacto (seen below), a crying Beltran stated that the last month has been rough for her. She narrated on how she spent months in the hospital with her mother and was under a lot of stress. When asked if she regretted her actions, she said did not because she was defending herself from someone who was attacking her. She did however offer a sincere apology to Rivera's family and her "true fans" for any pain her "misconstrued" comments may have caused.