“Dog the Bounty Hunter” star Duane ‘Dog’ Chapman broke down in tears during his eulogy honoring Beth Chapman.
“I cannot believe that she’s gone. This is not possible. I want to wake up from this dream,” he said amid tears. Beth Chapman died suddenly on June 26 at the age of 51, after battling cancer.
The funeral was held on July 13 at the Heritage Christian Center in Aurora, Colorado and was open to the public. For those that weren’t able to attend, the 2-hour ceremony was also live-streamed on WGNAmerica.com and on “Dog’s Most Wanted” Facebook page.
During his eulogy, Duane spoke about how they both wanted to be on television since a young age. He said she told him, “‘we’re going to Hollywood baby.’ And with god’s help, we did it.”
Beth and her husband starred in the reality series “Dog the Bounty Hunter” for eight seasons until 2012. They were currently filming a new reality series with WGN America called “Dog’s Most Wanted,” which is the first unscripted series on WGN in five years.
Duane spoke about how during the filming of the show, Beth Chapman was diagnosed with cancer. Despite that, she refused to leave his side.
“She said, ‘Before I go, I’m going to get you another show,'” he said. And she did.
The first trailer for their upcoming show was released in early June.
“The show did not kill her but she died for it,” Duane said during his eulogy.
He added that he still cannot accept that she has passed away.
“She will never be dead to me,” he said. “She is in another place. I had a dream that she went to heaven.”
July 13, 2019 –
Heritage Christian Center
14401 E. Exposition Avenue
Aurora, Colorado 80012 – Doors open at 1:00 Service starts at 2:00 pic.twitter.com/Htw4SKxDDl— Duane Dog Chapman (@DogBountyHunter) July 1, 2019
Just days before the memorial service, Duane opened up in an interview with Entertainment Tonight about his current emotional state.
“[With any] new experience that you have, you don’t know how you’re doing because you’ve never experienced it,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “I have a lot of people who depend on me. All my supervisors said, ‘Dog, it’s time to man up.’ So I’m trying to man up.”
Our hearts are breaking for Dog the Bounty Hunter as he exclusively reveals to ET how he’s processing the death of his wife, Beth Chapman. ???? Tonight on ET. pic.twitter.com/MhnYtnAHl7
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) July 11, 2019
On June 26, Duane confirmed that his wife had died. He wrote on 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.”
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
Following the announcement of the memorial, Duane opened up about the mourning process.
“You kind of try to remember that you’re celebrating life, but right now we’re mourning the death,” he said.
LIVE: A memorial is being held outside of Duane “Dog” Chapman’s home in Hawaii after the passing of his wife Beth Chapman. https://t.co/399c7tVU4T
— FOX26 News (@KMPHFOX26) June 27, 2019
“For a few years we knew this day would come,” he continued. However, it was still a shock when Beth Chapman passed away.
“It came really unexpected, really fast. All of her clothes, her make-up, everything. We didn’t prepare,” he said.
— Official DTBH News (@OfficialDOGNews) June 28, 2019
On June 22, Beth was placed into a medically-induced coma amid her battle with lung cancer.
She was first diagnosed with cancer in 2017. Two months later, she successfully underwent surgery for throat cancer. However, in late 2018, doctors informed her that her cancer had returned. In November, she underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumor in her throat.
“Another bend in the Road yet not the End of the Road,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
View this post on InstagramAnother bend in the Road yet not the End of the Road . #faith #love #stayhumblepray