Judge Jeanine Pirro mourned the death of Dog the Bounty Hunter co-star Beth Chapman this week.
The 51-year-old wife of Duane “Dog” Chapman died from lung cancer Wednesday. Soon after, Pirro posted two photos of her with Beth Chapman, who she called a “good lady and a great American.”
Rest in peace Beth Chapman… a good lady and a great American. pic.twitter.com/lZmWZTAEjk
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) June 26, 2019
The end of an era
Beth Chapman died at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii after a two year battle with lung cancer, said family spokeswoman Mona Wood-Sword. Chapman was brought to the hospital the Friday with difficulty breathing and was placed into a medically induced coma.
She passed away days later.
“It’s 5:32 in Hawaii, this is the time she would wake up to go hike Koko Head mountain,” her husband posted on Twitter on Wednesday. “Only today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side.”
Chapman’s passing was met with tributes from Fox’s Pirro to Inside Edition special correspondent Rita Crosby, who described the TV star’s death as a “huge loss” and asked for prayers for her husband and others who loved her.
No words to describe this huge loss of my heroic and dear friend #BethChapman. Prayers needed for @DogBountyHunter and all of us who loved Beth so very much and her indomitable spirit. #RIpBelovedBeth #DogTheBountyHunter #DogAndBeth https://t.co/Ys2OCRqRrV
— Rita Cosby (@RitaCosby) June 26, 2019
“She’s sleeping”
Chapman was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017. She had a tumor removed from her throat, but a year later, the cancer returned.
She began chemotherapy in December, but showed interest in alternative medicines and in one Instagram post described chemotherapy as “poison.” In May, she hinted that she was no longer receiving chemo, one month after she was rushed to the hospital with “serious breathing issues.”
The bounty hunter said his last words to his wife were, “Beth isn’t dead, she’s sleeping,” paraphrasing what Jesus said about Lazarus in the Bible. He broke down in tears as he went on to describe his wife’s last words to him and their two daughters: “I love you,” and, “Are you guys all OK? Don’t worry.”
“When she had an attack I didn’t know anything to do but to say ‘in Jesus name’ and hold her, and when I said ‘in Jesus name’ she said, ‘Say it again, say it more,”’ Duane Chapman told Hawaii News Now.
Love at first bond
Born Alice Elizabeth “Beth” Smith in Denver, Colorado on Oct. 29, 1967, Chapman starred alongside her husband on the A&E hit series Dog the Bounty Hunter, which followed the couple in their efforts to arrest people with outstanding warrants. The couple’s show ran for eight seasons from 2004 to 2012, and was followed by a spin-off series, CMT’s Dog and Beth: On the Hunt.
Beth Chapman was reportedly filming a new show, WGN America reality series Dog’s Most Wanted, with her husband until days before her death. Duane will decide what happens with the show going forward.
The bail and bounty business runs through the couple’s love story: they met in 1986 when Duane, then 35, posted bond for the 19-year-old Beth over a shoplifting arrest. Beth said she would get into trouble as an excuse to see him, and even got her bail license to woo Duane. The two dated on and off for years and eventually settled down together, had two children, and built the bail and bounty business that brought them reality star fame.
The couple married in Hawaii in 2006 after 16 years together. Tragically, the wedding came just one day after Duane’s daughter, Barbara Katy Chapman, died in a car accident.
Leaving a legacy
Beth Chapman was the youngest person ever to receive a bail license in Colorado at age 29, a record she held until her stepdaughter Lyssa Chapman became licensed at age 19. Beth was later elected president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States.
A&E announced that they will pay tributes to Beth on Monday. She is survived by her husband, their children Bonnie Jo and Garry, 10 other children from previous relationships, several grandchildren, and one great-grandson.
“Faith is probably the No. 1 thing in our lives, no matter what we’re faced with,” Duane Chapman once told Fox. “Through this cancer episode, we had to drum up as much faith as we could. And the Bible talks about having faith as small as a mustard seed… And that’s not much…[but] I thank God that we had at least that much faith to get her through that.”
No comments: