Dog the Bounty Hunter's granddaughter claims she can 'still smell' Beth Chapman in her closet
Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane Chapman has tearfully shared the most emotional moment he has shared with his granddaughter Madalynn as their family continues to mourn the death of his wife, Beth Chapman. In an emotional interview with Page Six, Duane shared how Madalynn had felt Beth’s presence in the most personal manner. According to Duane, Madalynn went into Beth’s closet and told him, “Grandpa, I still smell grandma.”
View this post on Instagram
“She said, ‘Are you going give all of her clothes away?’” Duane told Page Six. “Those clothes are going to always be there Madalynn, forever as far as grandpa is concerned,” Duane explained that Beth’s memory isn’t just something that’s tangible, like something she owns, but her spirit is with them on a daily basis. Whether that’s seeing a dog she would’ve rescued, having her favorite song pop up, or enjoying a rainy day she would love, her presence is still within them in regular moments.
View this post on Instagram
“She loved animals, she carried weenies on the bounty to feed these dogs that are abused. We see a puppy, we see a dog or we hear a song … She loved rainy days. So when it rains, there are so many things that remind the family of her,” he said. Beth Chapman, 51, died on June 26, 2019, after her long, anemic battle with throat cancer. She was first diagnosed with stage 2 throat cancer in 2017, and went into remission after treatment, only for the cancer to recur in her lungs in November 2018. She did start undertaking surgery and exploring experimental treatments, but her condition continued to worsen.
Even though Beth knew her condition was grave, she would not let that be the definition of her life. In one interview with The Star Adviser, she admitted that the outlook wasn’t good; however, she said she didn’t want to spend her days focusing on the illness. She didn’t want her children to see her fade away in front of them. “Even though the outlook is grim, I just don’t want to live it like that, you know?” she said in the video interview.
Duane recalled how Beth, in her last moments, told him that she was ready to let go. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he said, “The last few moments she said, ‘Come in here right now, in the bathroom.’ I went in and she said, ‘Look at me.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re freaking beautiful baby. [And she said,] ‘Look at me, Duane Chapman.’ And I did, I always saw Beth and she said, ‘Please, let me go.’”
Even as Beth tried to reassure him, Duane acknowledged that it was hard to envision a life without her. He said, “There is not another Beth. There'll never be another Beth.” Though she might have gone physically, he claims she’s still there for him with her spirit, leaving him notes and directing him on smaller things, like what to wear. He adored Beth very much, and this has made him so attached to the hope that he will see her someday.
