Who was Dog Bounty Hunter’s wife Beth Chapman and how did she die?
BETH Chapman, who was married to Duane “Dog” Chapman, died last year after battling cancer for years.
She was only 51.
Beth starred with her husband on the A&E reality series Dog the Bounty Hunter, which ran from 2004 to 2012.
Who was Beth Chapman?
Beth Chapman was Dog’s wife and sidekick in Dog the Bounty Hunter, a reality series that chronicled the life of bail bondsman and bounty hunter Duane Dog Chapman.
Between them, the couple had two children together, Bonnie and Garry, but their family included another 10 children from previous marriages.
The show ended in 2012 after eight seasons and was replaced in 2013 by Dog and Beth: On The Hunt, a spin-off series starring both Duane and Beth.
When did Beth die?
Beth was first diagnosed with stage two throat cancer in November 2017 and it later worsened to stage four.
She passed away in June of 2019.
Dog sadly confirmed her passing on Twitter, writing “it’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain.”
“Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side.”
A rep told People that Beth died peacefully surrounded by family.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic news that Beth Chapman lost her battle with cancer today,” WGN America released in a statement after her death.
“She was an exceptional woman, fiercely loyal and passionate about her family and she was a true joy to work with.
“All of us at WGN America will miss her tremendously.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Duane, her family, loved ones and millions of fans.”
Months after Beth’s death, Dog learned he was dealing with his own “life-threatening condition” when he was hospitalized with chest pains.
The Dog’s Most Wanted star was told he was suffering from a pulmonary embolism in the heart in which one or more arteries were blocked by blood.
He was diagnosed on The Dr Oz Show, who gave the bail bondsman a stern wake-up call about his diagnosis.
“You’re a ticking time bomb,” Dr Oz, who went to visit Dog at his Denver home, told him.
How long were Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth together for?
Dog and Beth had been married since 2006 but had been dating on-and-off since meeting in 1986.
Beth was the bail bondsman’s fifth wife, after his previous marriages to La Fonda Sue Honeycutt, Anne Tengell, Lyssa Rae Brittain and Tawny Marie.
Dog is no stranger to tragedy.
His oldest daughter Barbara Katy Chapman was killed in a car accident the day before her father‘s wedding to Beth.
The tragedy happened on May 19, 2006, near Fairbanks, Alaska.
Barbara is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indiana.
Who is Dog the Bounty Hunter with now?
Dog began dating 51-year-old rancher Francie Frane a few months after Beth’s passing.
Of how their love story began, Francie shared: “In June of last year, I was six months into my grieving and my really close girlfriend and I went to Arizona together with her mom.
“We were in the hotel room and my girlfriend was listening to some worship music on YouTube and she said to me, ‘Oh my gosh, Beth Chapman passed away two days ago. I had no idea. She had throat cancer.’
“And I said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so sucky. I hate cancer’. We had that conversation for a minute and then I said to her, ‘Who’s Beth Chapman?’
“And she goes, ‘Dog The Bounty Hunter’s wife, you don’t know who that is?’ And I was like, ‘No, I don’t know who Dog The Bounty Hunter is.'”
Francie recalled her friend saying that somehow, someway she was going to “get together” with Dog.
Through a mutual connection, the two managed to get on the phone together, where they opened up about their late spouses passing as Francie had also recently lost her husband to cancer. Eventually, that bond turned into a romance of their own.
The Bounty Hunter made headlines earlier this month after he announced his engagement to his new love.
Of his decision to propose to Frane, Duane says, “When you know, you know.”
“I believe in marriage,” he adds. “Beth taught me.”
His wedding to Frane will be his sixth marriage.
“I need a partner,” Duane, 67, told People.
“I’ve said it before. There will never be another Mrs. Dog. There is not. Francie couldn’t do that.
“There will be a last Mrs. Chapman. If Beth was here, and saw Francie and saw how she was raised, her morality and this and that, Beth would say, ‘Big daddy, don’t lose her.’
“For a living, she’s a rancher and she recently lost her husband to cancer six months before I lost Beth Chapman so we hopped on the phone, started talking to each other, crying and consoling each other and then one thing led to another and it’s just incredible that I’ve been able to meet someone like her.
“With Francie, I’m allowed to speak about Beth, we speak about her husband. We cry. We hold each other.”
Fans of the show have slammed Dog for moving on too fast months after Beth’s death.
Dog’s daughter, Lyssa, stepped in to defend her dad.
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In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Lyssa said her dad and new love are “really cute” and “adorable” together and the 51-year-old fits in with the family perfectly.
But she admits that it is difficult for fans to see her famous father embark on a new relationship after Beth died from cancer last June.
Lyssa told The Sun: “I think that it’s really hard for people to see dad move on.
“It’s hard for us, it’s hard for the world. Beth and Dog were always together for everything.
“So it’s been an adjustment period.”