The late Beth Chapman's children will always have their memories with their beloved mother.
The late Beth Chapman's children will always have their memories with their beloved mother.
ET's Kevin Frazier sat down exclusively with Beth's husband, 66-year-old Duane "Dog" Chapman, as well as two of their children, 20-year-old Bonnie and 18-year-old Garry, in Colorado, where they talked about the life lessons Beth had imparted on them. Beth died on June 26 at the age of 51 after a battle with cancer.
"I'm definitely going to take away how determined and how passionate she was," Bonnie tells ET. "I've started to see myself blossom into a mini Beth, and I'm really glad I could take away her ferocity, just take away so much from her, and I feel like I'm so blessed to have her in my life. And she's not here right now but I'm definitely going to miss her laugh -- that's something that when it did come, it was like bells, and it really made the whole family happy."
As for Garry -- whom Duane says was known in the family as "little Beth," noting that he was Beth's "baby" -- he says he's forever grateful for her accepting nature and for her giving him confidence.
"I appreciate how she raised me, and it's made me the man I am today," he says when asked what he would like to tell his mom if she were still alive today. "One that wants to be a cop and one that, you know, has compassion for law enforcement. My dad was like, 'Hello, no, you're not being a cop,' when I first was adamant about it. But she was, like, always accepting it and she gave me the confidence, you know, 'Go be a volunteer,' and, you know, do that kind of stuff. So, I appreciate that out of everything she did for me."
ET also spoke to Duane's son, 42-year-old Leland -- whose mother is Duane's first wife, La Fonda Sue Darnall -- who was close to Beth. Leland says Beth's strength and discipline will always be with the family.
"I've already noticed the difference," he says of Beth no longer helping them hunt down people on the run. "We've only been out for one day. And you know I was thinking to myself, man, if Beth was here, she would be yelling, 'Come on, let's go already,' telling my dad, 'Shut up, you talk too much. Let's go.' You know what I mean? ... There's definitely a different aspect around."
"But you know, I think we'll pull through," he continues. "We're a strong family and it's terrible that we had to go through that, but like I said, I know our bond is strong and we work together, which makes it even stronger. And I believe that Beth ran such a tight ship and that it just became -- when you do something over and over and over again and it's just rhetorical, it just becomes natural, you know? And I think that it's already instilled in all of us, and that's why it works so well, is because of all the years of grinding on us. You know what I mean? Do this. Do that. You know? And now, you know, you got the finished product."
Duane at one point shed tears when Bonnie talked about looking up to her late mom.
"I want to be the best woman I can for her," she shares. " ... She left us with a good foundation. And that's something we won't forget."
Duane also spoke to ET about the highly anticipated Dog the Bounty Hunter spinoff, Dog's Most Wanted, set to air on WGN America, and he said he is unsure how much of Beth will be shown. He did note that the footage he has seen of her makes him emotional.
"So, I mean, I've already looked at some of them, OK, and I see her and I hear her and I freaking start bawling 'cause it happened," he shares. "I just instantly start crying ... so, I think it's also therapeutic that you have those. You know, if you lose a loved one, then you have the little pictures you look at. But I have her alive in that show."
Watch the video below for more of our exclusive with Duane, including why he hasn't fulfilled his late wife's final wishes.
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