Dog the Bounty Hunter Hypes up Tennessee Visit With Photo Alongside Fans

Dog the Bounty Hunter star Duane “Dog” Chapman is in Tennessee this weekend to attend the Nashville Fan Fest convention, held at the Williamson County Center in Franklin. Chapman was joined by his son, Leland Chapman, and daughter-in-law Jamie Pilar Chapman. The Dog’s Most Wanted star shared a photo with fans to hype up the event before it kicked off on Saturday.

“Headed to [Nashville] ( Franklin ) share love w/ Fans I really need THIS SEE YOU THERE,” Chapman wrote on Twitter and Instagram, alongside a photo of himself with two fans.

Chapman also shared a photo taken with a group of fans at the convention Saturday. He posed with local police officers in another photo, adding, “Tennessee Cops REAL [Heroes]!!!” in the caption.

Nashville Fan Fest continues into Sunday, with Kim Coates, Juan Javier Cardenas, Tyler Mane, Kenny Johnson, David Labrava, Vincent Ward, Lew Temple, Michael Rowe, Markice Moore, Eugene Clark and Kristen Renton also attending. Sons of Anarchy star Ryan Hurst attended the convention on Saturday only.

Chapman’s first convention appearance in the new year comes after a difficult 2019 for the reality TV star. Although he saw the premiere of his new show Dog’s Most Wanted, his wife Beth Chapman died in June after a battle with throat and lung cancers. She was 51 years old. The tragedy inspired touching year-end messages from Chapman and his family on social media.

“Going to my shrink for 6 months now ever since Beth left me I am not sure if it works let you know in another 6,” Chapman wrote on Instagram on Dec. 26.

Jamie was also close with Beth, and shared a heartbreaking tribute to her husband’s stepmother, recalling how Beth welcomed her to the Chapman family.

“Beth taught me my first tough love experience when I joined the family,” Jamie wrote on Instagram. “As we know, sometimes when Mrs. C shows tough love, she can throw in a few extra punches just for good measure. Through it all, she still told me I had a place in this family and I didn’t need to fight for it. I needed that. And in this moment I realized how much I was going to need her in my life.⁣”

Chapman also had a health scare this past fall for a pulmonary embolism. He appeared on The Dr. Oz Show twice, with host Dr. Mehmet Oz warning him to change his habits to live a long life. He has said he is trying to stop smoking and eat a healthier diet.

Photo credit: Getty Images