Beth Chapman passed away last year in June after fighting a long battle with Stage 4 lung cancer.
It's been a year since Duane "Dog" Chapman lost his wife and sidekick on all his bounty hunts, Beth Chapman. The duo started their journey together with reality shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter, Dog and Beth: On the Hunt, and Dog's Most Wanted. It was during the filming of Dog's Most Wanted that Beth lost her years-long battle with throat and lung cancer.
At the age of 51, Beth passed away on June 26, 2019, leaving her husband so heartbroken that even though it's been a while, he is still struggling to move on from his past. Beth's death has been hard on Dog but it has taught him to accept a few things as well.
In his latest interview with the Daily Star, Dog revealed that Beth's death was the hardest thing that he had ever experienced. He said, “It is the worst thing I have ever been through in my entire life. It just feels terrible to lose a spouse and have your wife go before you."
Dog and Beth's road to fame began with chasing criminals and thugs on their A&E show, Dog The Bounty Hunter. The show's popularity paved the way for a spin-off, Dog And Beth: On The Hunt which got appreciated by the masses as well.
For Dog, it's a whole new experience to hunt without Beth by his side. Talking about the challenges, he said, "I’ve had to adjust – Beth isn’t there anymore telling me to stay back or warning me a guy is about to shoot." But coming face to face with death through his wife has made him a little less afraid of dying.
"But I'm no longer afraid to die. I don't want to die, but I'm not scared anymore. When I go to catch somebody, I stick out my chest and go for it."
Talking to TV Insider he spoke about how he feels like his late wife is still present with him in spirit. Recalling an incident where he and his team lost a felon whom they were chasing in an unfamiliar neighborhood, he said, "I stopped for a second as I was running and said, 'Beth, please. Where is he?' All of a sudden, I heard [fellow hunter] David and [Chapman's son] Leland yell, 'We're on him again, boss.' I told David, 'Oh my God, she's watching.' David said, 'We have an angelic drone.' I feel her all the time."
He previously admitted that initially, he was against the idea of filming after the couple learned about Beth's cancer relapse. He said, "I didn’t necessarily like it [the idea of filming]. It was her, she wanted to do it… ‘cause we had talks," as reported by Radio Times.
He continued, "I said, 'Beth, it’s not… you don’t have to show people this,' and she’s like, 'I do want to, I want to show 'em' – so it was mostly for her, because she wanted to show it. Personally, me? I wouldn’t have done that, but she wanted it so she got it."
But he noticed that when they were filming Beth "forgot about it and she was out there laughing" and that made him agree with her idea as he "could see that it was helping her to stay working, to keep her mind off of that, so that meant a lot and was a big part of the filming of the show.”
Dog also revealed that the first six months after his wife's death were the worst. "When everything calms down, and people quit calling you, and flowers quit coming to the door and all of a sudden you’re alone… that’s when it hit me. You don’t want to have to go through it.”
The 67-year-old couldn't help but sob on the show Faith With Katie, as he spoke to Katie Souza on how he would have wished for Beth to move on if he was in Beth's place. Dog has been receiving questions from his and Beth's fans asking how did he move on so quickly in his life.
Holding back his tears, he answered, "Let's put it like – what if it was Dog that died? And what if it was Beth who met a Christian man that spoke in a heavenly language? And loved her as much as I did and owned an airplane? What would I say? And what if he said, 'Dog, you are in Heaven and I would take care of her and I would love her as much as you did.’"
He continued, "I would say, 'Beth, you better not lose this one.' I would say that, of course, fans love Beth - Beth will always be in my heart and Francie by my side. She's not another Mrs. Dog, she's Francie Chapman.”
Fancie Chapman is Dog's newfound love with whom he got engaged to 11 months after Beth's passing. Though the couple has been continuously criticized by Beth's fans, the family is being supportive of their union.
References:
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tv/dog-bounty-hunter-says-im-22625178
https://www.tvinsider.com/803043/dogs-most-wanted-wgn-duane-chapman-beth-death/
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2020-08-27/dog-the-bounty-hunter-beth-cancer-diagnosis/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHfOFBbkbMA#action=share
https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/1234959/dog-bounty-hunter-cries-beth-move-on-he-died/
