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Beth Chapman has lost her battle with throat cancer and has died, surrounded by her family. The announcement of Beth Chapman’s death was made by her husband, Duane Chapman, also known as Dog the Bounty Hunter. He made the sad announcement via Twitter, on June 26, 2019, writing, “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 and Beth Chapman were together off and on for 16 years before they got married on May 20, 2006, during an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter. The two tied the knot at the Hilton hotel on Waikoloa Village in Hawaii and it was a family affair, just as their shows have been over the years. Over the course of their relationship, Beth and Duane had children together, but each of them also had kids from previous relationships. Duane was married four times before getting together with wife Beth, though he met Beth when he was still married to third wife Lyssa Rae Brittain. Beth was 19 years old at the time. Before Beth and Duane started dating, Beth had two children from two men who became her ex-husbands. Get to know more about Beth and Duane’s past relationships, each of their kids, and their family tragedies in our 5 Fast Facts below.
1. One of Duane’s Daughters Died the Night Before His Wedding to Beth
The couple’s wedding was filmed for their reality show Dog the Bounty Hunter but their happy day was met with tragedy. On the morning of the wedding, Duane, Beth, and their family members were shown grieving the loss of one of their own.
In May 2006, Hawaii News Now reported that Barbara Katy Chapman was killed in a car accident, the day before her father’s wedding. The accident reportedly occurred near her home in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was in a stolen SUV with a friend when the car went off the road, rolled and hit some trees. Despite the tragedy, Duane and Beth mustered up the courage to move forward with their nuptials and broke the sad news to guests at the reception.
Barbara is one of 12 children of Duane Chapman’s and she was survived by her mother, Lyssa Greene, and her 4-year-old son.
2. Beth Was a Teen Mother
Before Beth got together with husband Duane, she had a son named Dominic Davis Smith. Smith was born in 1985, when Beth was just 17 years old and he was taken into custody by the state, according to The Cheat Sheet. Beth had her son with her high school ex-boyfriend.
Beth also had a daughter named Cecily Barmore-Chapman with first husband, Keith Barmore. Keith Barmore married Beth in August 1991 and their daughter was born in 1993.
Beth met Duane in 1986, when she was just 19 years old, according to Entertainment Tonight. Article Bio reported that Beth was later reunited with her son and he was adopted by Duane.
3. Duane and Beth Chapman Have Two Children Together
Together, Duane and Beth Chapman had two children – Bonnie Chapman and Garry Chapman. Their daughter, Bonnie, paid tribute to Mom Beth on Twitter upon her death. Bonnie tweeted this message, “Love you forever mom. You’ve got a halo now.”
When it comes to Duane’s children prior to being with Beth, he first had a son named Christopher when he was a teen and Christopher’s mother was a woman named Debbie White. The Cheat Sheet reported that Duane didn’t know Christopher existed for years. Duane married ex-wife La Fonda Sue Honeycutt in 1972 and had sons Leland and Duane Lee II. For years, Leland and Duane Lee were reportedly not allowed to see their dad.
In 1979, Dog married Anne Tegnell and had three kids with her – Zebediah Duane, Wesley, and J.R. Sadly, Zebediah died at birth and the other two children were raised by their mother. Lyssa Brittain was Duane’s next ex-wife, and they also had three kids – Barbara Katie “B.K.,” Tucker Dee, and Lyssa Rae “Baby Lyssa.”
4. A Leaked Conversation With Duane’s Son Tucker Reportedly Ended “Dog the Bounty Hunter”
According to Reuters, Duane Chapman’s hit reality show was put to bed after evidence of him using racial slurs had come to light. Duane was taped on a phone call with his son Tucker, using the n-word to describe his son’s black girlfriend and his son ended up selling the tape to The National Enquirer.
After the incident, on the Larry King Live show, Duane said, “He will not talk to me … His mother’s in on it with him. I have been away from her since the ‘80s so now she is like getting even.”
And, when talking about why he referred to his son’s girlfriend as the n-word, Duane’s explanation was, “I tried to take control of his life … I heard this girl was maybe not being the best for Tucker — and I’ll leave it like that — so I tried to interfere … I don’t care if she is black at all. He’s on parole for a 20-year sentence and if he messes up he goes back.”
5. Several of Duane’s Kids Have Worked and Appeared on “Dog the Bounty Hunter”
The Chapman family has included several family members in Dog the Bounty Hunter, over the course of the hit show’s run on TV. Several of Duane’s children have appeared on the show and have worked with Duane and Beth. Fans of the show may be very familiar with Baby Lyssa, Leland, and Duane Lee.
At one point, Duane Lee started distancing himself from the family business and it was shown on the series. According to The Huffington Post, both Duane Lee and Leland were shown in screaming matches with stepmom Beth. There were rumors that Beth and Duane had fired the two men but, it later came out that they had quit the show, as reported by La Late News.
Prior to Beth’s death, she and Duane had filmed her initial journey, battling her throat cancer. And, Beth became very upset when Leland was the only one, out of all of their children, to be by her side during her first surgery and recovery.