"Dog the Bounty Hunter" star Duane Chapman is honoring his late wife, Beth Chapman, on what would have been her 53rd birthday.
The 67-year-old reality star shared a photo of Beth on Instagram on Thursday, writing, "You are celebrating this day with Jesus and all his angels that's the only thing that gets us through without you happy birthday Beth we miss you & love you."
Beth Chapman, who appeared alongside Duane on shows including "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt," was diagnosed in 2017 with throat cancer.
She allowed cameras to document her cancer diagnosis in the emotional A&E special "Dog & Beth: Fight of Their Lives." After undergoing a surgery during which doctors removed a plum-sized tumor along with her lymph nodes, Beth Chapman was declared cancer-free.
However, in 2018 Beth Chapman learned the cancer had returned. She died June 26, 2019, at age 51.
Duane Chapman publicly grieved over his wife's death for months before finding love again with fiancée Francie Frane. The couple met unexpectedly after Duane Chapman left a message for Frane's late husband asking him to help with some home improvement, unaware that he had died.
Frane called Duane Chapman back and the pair soon learned that they had both recently suffered a loss. Before long their friendship blossomed into a romance, with the couple announcing their engagement last May.
After some fans voiced disapproval over his new relationship, Duane's daughter Bonnie Chapman, 21, defended him by saying her late mom would want him to be happy.
In emotional comments she left on one of her father's Instagram posts, Bonnie Chapman wrote, "Francie is a wonderful woman, as usual no one can replace my mother; but it’s okay to let new people in.
"Life is filled with so much sorrow and hurt, in times like this is when love is found unexpected," she continued. "For those who claim to know my mother’s wishes: please remember that we as a family went through every excruciating and painful detail of what was next. I had this talk with her, my mother had so much love for my father, she would never want him to be alone."
Bonnie Chapman added, "My mom wanted him to be happy no matter what. There is always going to be one and only one Mrs. Dog. Welcome to the pack, Francie."