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Duane Chapman diagnosed with pulmonary embolism months after wife Beth's death: 'I don't want to die right now'

Three months after Chapman lost his wife, Beth, to cancer, he learned of his diagnosis after he was hospitalized for chest pains

In mid-September, Duane Chapman, popularly known as "Dog the Bounty Hunter" was hospitalized after he suffered chest pains. Two weeks later, he was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening condition in which clots get wedged in one or more arteries in the lungs and could lead to a heart attack.

Chapman had lost his wife of 12 years, Beth, on June 26, 2019. Beth had been battling a long and hard-fought war with throat and lung cancer.

In a clip of 'The Dr. Oz Show' acquired by People, Duane discussed his diagnosis with Dr. Mehmet Oz. In the clip, Dr. Oz tells Chapman, "You're a ticking time bomb. You’re not going to be here with the heart the way it is right now."

He added, "Fear of death is normal. I'm surprised you don't fear death when you're chasing after convicts. But when you run away from the doctor, that means you have to do your own doctoring."

Speaking to People magazine, Dr. Oz said Chapman was denying care for himself, citing Beth's death as Duane losing his biggest support. Eventually, Dr. Oz managed to convince Chapman to seek treatment, telling him that his wife will not be happy with what he was doing.

Speaking to People, Chapman said, "I hesitated for a minute thinking, I don't want to have to go through this again. I don't want to die right now. I'm not afraid to die anymore, but I really didn't care for awhile if something would happen. I do care now."

Now Chapman is on the road to recovery and is on a healthy diet and blood thinners. He is also trying to quit smoking.

Chapman feels hopeful, saying "Once this goes away, I am 100 percent. I’ve had fears. The blood clot is not a normal thing but it happens a lot, but I'm going to be 100 percent. I'm encouraged by it".

Chapman's show, 'Dog's Most Wanted' started airing on WGN on September 4, 2019. The show is a spinoff of the similar 'Dog the Bounty Hunter', 'Dog and Beth: On the Hunt', and the television special 'Dog and Beth: Fight of Their Lives'.