Beth Chapman, reality television star and wife of 'Dog the Bounty Hunter,' dies at age 51

HONOLULU -- Reality television personality Beth Chapman has died, her husband and "Dog the Bounty Hunter" co-star Duane Chapman said in a tweet. She was 51.

After noting that it was about the time Beth would set out for her morning hike, Duane wrote, "Today, she hiked the stairway to heaven. We all love you, Beth. See you on the other side."

A family spokeswoman, Mona Wood-Sword, told the Associated Press in a statement that Beth died early Wednesday.

Over the weekend, Duane shared that Beth had been hospitalized in Honolulu on Friday. Chapman had difficulty breathing and passed out momentarily, Wood-Sword said. She regained consciousness when emergency workers arrived at her home and gave her oxygen. The doctors at The Queen's Medical Center put her in a medically induced coma to relieve her pain, AP reports.

Beth was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017. She was declared cancer-free before later being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.

The A&E series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," which chronicled the family's life and bail bond business in Honolulu, was canceled in 2012. The Chapmans later starred in other similar reality shows, including Country Music Television's "Dog & Beth: On The Hunt."

Beth, who was born Alice Elizabeth Smith, is originally from Denver, Colorado. She was the youngest ever to receive a bail license in the state before her own daughter beat her record, according to her PBUS bio.

In 2006, she and Duane, the self-proclaimed world's best bounty hunter, married during a sunset ceremony at a Big Island resort after being together for 16 years. The wedding was featured on the A&E show.

"I've already been cuffed and shackled by Beth anyway," he told The Associated Press at the time.

Duane's daughter, 23-year-old Barbara Katy Chapman, died in a car crash in Alaska days before the wedding. The couple decided to go forward with the wedding to celebrate her life.

Beth had been serving as the president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States since 2016.

Funeral services are expected to be held in Honolulu and Colorado, Wood-Sword said.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.