Dog the Bounty Hunter star Lyssa Chapman, daughter of Duane “Dog” Chapman, celebrated her older brother Leland Chapman‘s birthday on Saturday by sharing a throwback photo from the reality series. Leland’s wife Jamie Pilar Chapman also shared a heartwarming message for her husband to celebrate his birthday. Leland turned 43 years old on Saturday.
“Happy birthday big brother [Leland]!!” Chapman wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo with their father during a Dog The Bounty Hunter-era photoshoot.
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Jamie also celebrated Leland’s birthday by posting a photo of the couple.
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“Happy Birthday to the man I love more & more everyday!” Jamie wrote. “You are my world & everything in it! There’s no one else in the world I would rather grow old with than you! You make me look forward to the future because I know every moment will be made with you in it!… Happy Birthday my love [Leland].”
Leland also received happy birthday wishes from Duane’s team on Instagram. “Happy Birthday to Leland Chapman today!!” they wrote, alongside a photo of Leland wearing a jacket with his father’s logo.
Leland’s birthday comes at the end of a difficult year for the Chapman family. Although they returned to television thanks to WGN America’s Dog’s Most Wanted, they also mourned the death of Duane’s wife Beth Chapman. She died in June at age 51, following a battle with throat and lung cancers.
The family continues to share new photos with Beth, including her daughter with first husband Keith Barmore, Cecily. This week, Cecily shared an emotional post on Instagram that included a lengthy year-end tribute to her mother.
“My life is so empty and lonely without her I spent my whole life with her even back when I was little once upon a time it was just me and her I miss the days we sang in the car together, that was my favorite it didn’t matter what song just to hear her beautiful voice singing an looking at her admiring her and her beauty she was always beautiful….” Cecily wrote on Instagram. “Her face, her nails, and her hair. With this being expressed I pray and hope for anyone who has a mom, never take a second for granted, time is precious and you never know when they’ll be gone. Mom I love you and miss you so much from your baby.”
Duane was also briefly hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism. While on The Dr. Oz Show in November, he was shown lung scans that revealed a blood clot. In a September appearance on Dr. Oz, the host told Chapman he needed to improve his health.
“You’re not going to be here with the heart the way it is right now,” Oz warned Chapman in September. “Fear of death is normal. I’m surprised you don’t fear death when you’re chasing after convicts. But when you run away from doctors, that means you have to do your own doctoring.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
