Duane “Dog” Chapman Pays Tribute To Wife Francie’s Late Husband
on Dec 30, 2021
On September 2, Duane “Dog” Chapman tied the knot for the sixth time – two years after his wife Beth passed away from throat cancer.
In May of 2020, Dog became engaged to Francie Frane, announcing their engagement through an exclusive interview with The Sun. Dog popped the question in a candlelit room at his home in Colorado and Francie said it was completely unexpected. The announcement came as a surprise to fans, who had recently learned that Francie and Dog had only been dating a couple of months before going public.
Chapman shared photos of their wedding on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CT4kFWuL5Q6/
Their road to finding each other is quite interesting and in a sit-down interview with Kevin Frazier from Entertainment Tonight, they told their love story. Beth Chapman’s death was highly publicized and when she passed in June 2019 and Francie’s friend told her about it. Francie admitted she had never heard of Dog and Beth Chapman, but was moved by their story, seeing as she had lost her husband to cancer just six months prior.
The conversation ended there, but the next morning, Francie’s friend came to her and said, “Okay, you’re going to think this is nuts, but I have to tell you anyway, God just said to me that you’re going to meet Dog The Bounty Hunter and he’s going to use you guys in a huge way to change lives.”
Francie laughed it off. But a couple of months later, in August 2019, she listened to a voicemail left for her late husband Bob, who owned an excavating company in Colorado, where Dog has a home. She had given her 8-year-old grandson the task of being in charge of Bob’s phone and had yet to answer any messages until she heard Dog leave a message for Bob. Dog actually said his name was Doug Chapman on the voicemail.
Francie felt the need to call him back because he clearly had no clue Bob had passed away, so she did.
She said, “So I called back and he answers the phone and I said to him, ‘I’m really sorry to tell you that my husband passed away a few months ago.’ So he starts balling [sic] and then I start crying. So then all of a sudden I hear him take this big, deep breath and he says, ‘My name’s not Doug, it’s Dog The Bounty Hunter.’“
Her jaw just about dropped to the floor, remembering what her girlfriend had told her just a couple months before. Dog revealed he lost his wife, but of course Francie already knew that. They talked on the phone for over an hour and stayed in touch after that, meeting for coffee occasionally and being there for each other during the grieving process.
Eventually, their friendly feelings towards one another turned into something more, and now they’re getting married! The relationship might come as a surprise to fans, but it’s even more of a surprise to Francie. She admitted, “I told everyone, my family, friends, everybody that I go to church with, I will never, ever be with anybody ever again.”
Dog has also echoed these sentiments, saying over and over again that he would never remarry. The biggest reason they bonded so quickly was because they are both mourning the love of their lives.
“We understood the pain that the other one was feeling and [in] those tough days and moments, we helped each other stand up,” Francie said. “We could cry with each other and talk about what we were feeling. We were able to walk alongside each other through the pain and heartbreak and it brought us together in this amazing way.”
Throughout their relationship, they have both been very respectful of each other’s past marriages and losses, even paying tribute to the other’s late spouse on important days. On the second anniversary of Beth’s death, Francie shared a photo of her on her personal Instagram account and wrote, “Two years ago today You went home to heaven, Your loss was felt across the world. Today as we Have You Held Up for the incredible powerful strong woman that You were and the LEGACY You will always carry You are missed and loved dearly.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQloNWXMsOx/
On Thursday (Dec. 30), Chapman took to Instagram to pay tribute to his wife’s late husband, Bob.
“Three years ago today Bob Freyn left earth for heaven I am so sorry Francie I love you and I promise you I will try to be at least half the Man Bob was to you,” he wrote.
It’s so sweet that they are each so supportive. See Dog’s post below.
