Beth Chapman, star of ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter,' dies at 51

LOS ANGELES - Beth Chapman, star of the “Dog the Bounty Hunter” reality TV show, has died after a battle with cancer. She was 51.

Her husband, Duane “Dog” Chapman, announced the news Wednesday in a post 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,” he wrote.

Family spokeswoman Mona Wood-Sword also confirmed Beth’s death in a statement, saying she "passed away peacefully this morning at 5:32 a.m. at Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu after an almost 2 year battle with cancer.“

"Duane and the Chapmans 'ohana send their love and a sincere mahalo to everyone who prayed for Beth throughout this journey," Wood-Sword said. "Funeral arrangements are pending for Honolulu and Colorado. More details will be provided in the near future."

In late June, Beth Chapman was hospitalized in Honolulu after having difficulty breathing and passing out momentarily. Doctors put her into a medically induced coma to spare her from pain during treatment, according to family spokeswoman Mona Wood-Sword. 

Beth was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017 after having a nagging cough checked out, Wood-Sword said. 

She was declared cancer-free after the removal of a tumor, but she was later diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. 

Her husband starred alongside her in the A&E series "Dog the Bounty Hunter," which was canceled in 2012. The Chapmans, who live in Honolulu, later starred in other similar reality shows, including Country Music Television's "Dog & Beth: On The Hunt.“

In 2016, Beth ran for president of the Professional Bail Agents of the United States, and won. She has said she was the youngest ever to receive a bail license in Colorado, where she's originally from. That record was broken by her own daughter Baby Lyssa, she said. 

She spent nearly 30 years in the bail bond business, according to her biography on the “Dog the Bounty Hunter” website. 

In January, the Chapmans announced their bail bonds office in Honolulu was closing because the building would be demolished. Tourists would sometimes stop by Da Kine Bail Bonds because episodes of their shows were filmed there. 

The couple said then that they were looking at other locations for their bail bonds business.

Beth Chapman was born on Oct. 29, 1967 in Denver, Colorado, her biography said. She was the youngest of five children. 

Known as “Mrs. Dog,” she was the “driving force” and “matriarch of the Chapman clan,” according to her online biography.  

“She gains her strength through the love of her family,” the biography said. 

Beth is survived by her husband and 12 children.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.