Dog the Bounty Hunter recalls heartbreaking moment doctors said Beth Chapman wouldn't survive: "I shook her..."
Duane Chapman still remembers the exact moment he was told that his late wife Beth Chapman won't make it out alive! For those wondering, Duane well-known as 'Dog the Bounty Hunter' lost his beloved wife Beth on June 26, 2019, after a long battle with throat cancer. At the time of her death, Beth was 51 years old. During an episode of WGN’s show 'Dog’s Most Wanted' which aired in 2019, Duane was seen having a heartfelt conversation with Beth's best friend Rainy Robinson. While chit-chatting with Duane, Robinson delved deep into Beth's current condition.
"She’s supposed to have a doctor’s appointment in six minutes and I don’t think she’s going. I don’t think they’re going to give her the good news she wants to hear. I don’t think they’ll go, ‘Oh the other doctor that you’re seeing, it’s all shrinking and it’s really good,’ ” Duane told Robinson at that time, according to People magazine. In his response, Robinson said, “It’s very hard for her to trust this whole process because of all the shenanigans that started in the very, very beginning rather than just telling her right up front." Following her last surgery, Beth "could barely talk" and then, Duane talked about what he feared the most.
“The doctor came to me and goes, ‘I’m not sure she’s going to pull out of this. We’ve been trying to wake her up, she’s been in and out of consciousness, and she may slip into a coma.’ I did my test and I took a blank piece of paper and I laid it on her chest with a pen. I shook her head and go, ‘Honey I want you to sign that and she went like this, (puts up middle finger), and the doctor says, ‘She’s alright,' ” Duane shared. On June 26, Duane announced the heartbreaking news of Beth's passing on X (formerly known as 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. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side," he wrote.
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.
— Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) June 26, 2019
During an interview with People Now, Duane revealed that he and Beth's kids have been struggling since her demise. He further revealed that the kids are “barely making it” without her. “Each one copes differently, there are a few that really barely make it,” he told the media outlet. The pair shared four kids, Bonnie Chapman, Garry Chapman, Dominic Davis, and Cecily Chapman (Beth's daughter from a previous relationship). Duane went on to say, “We don’t know what to do. We haven’t read, we weren’t prepared. I lost my mother first, and when my mom passed away, I’m like, ‘I wish dad would have died first, you know, ’cause I love my mommy.’ So I went to them and said, ‘I’m so sorry that I didn’t die first and mom did.’”
After Beth's passing, Duane was hospitalized after feeling some pain in his chest. "I can confirm Dog is under doctor’s care and is resting comfortably. Thank you for all of your well wishes — keep ’em coming," his representative shared in a statement, as per ET Online. Soon after his health scare, Duane shared his health update with FOX31, saying "It feels much better now. And I’m going through some psychological things right now too, so that doesn’t help. I think, basically, I had a broken heart. And of course, it’s going to heal.” After Beth's passing, Duane went on to marry Francie Frane in 2021.