Beth Chapman of ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ Fame Dead at 51
Beth Chapman, one of the stars of the TV show Dog the Bounty Hunter, has died following a battle with cancer. She was 51 years old.
Chapman died early Wednesday morning (June 26), her husband, Duane "Dog" Chapman shared on Twitter. "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," Chapman wrote. "We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."
Beth Chapman was first diagnosed with Stage II throat cancer in 2017, but was given a clean bill of health a few months later, following surgery. In November of 2018, however, she revealed that her cancer had returned. On Saturday (June 22), her family announced that, after having a breathing issue at home, she was in the ICU at Hawaii's Queen's Medical Center, in a medically induced coma.
“Chemotherapy is not my bag, people. Sorry, that’s not for me,” Chapman said previously (quote via People). “So for me, this is the ultimate test of faith. This is my ultimate lesson. And it will either be taught to me or to you. And I am fine with taking the hit for everyone else. Because I think I know another guy who did the same thing.”
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The Chapmans rose to fame in the 2000s thanks to their A&E reality show, Dog the Bounty Hunter, which chronicled Dog's work chasing fugitives, with Beth as his business partner. The show aired from 2004 until 2012.
A first Dog the Bounty Hunter spin-off, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt, aired on CMT for three seasons. Another spin-off, Dog's Most Wanted, is in production for WGN; according to Us Weekly, filming began earlier this year, with Beth Chapman's cancer battle as a prominent storyline.
"My wife, the love of my life, is fighting for her life," Dog says in a trailer for the show, the premiere date of which has yet to be announced. "Instead of being at home helping her, I’m out here looking for you. I’m warning you in advance. May God have mercy on you when I get you, because I won’t."
In addition to Dog, Beth Chapman is survived by four children, Cecily Chapman, Bonnie Chapman, Garry Chapman and Dominic Davis. The couple, who first met in 1986, were an on-again, off-again couple before moving in together in 1995. They officially tied the knot in May of 2006.
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