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Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Partner Ken Urker Dies at 34
Confirmed
In Short: Ken Urker, partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, was found dead on his birthday in Louisiana.
Ken Urker, the partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, died at the age of 34 on his birthday, October 1, in Louisiana.
Blanchard and Urker first met in 2017 when Urker began writing to Blanchard as a prison pen pal after watching a documentary about her.
They became engaged in 2018 while Blanchard was serving a 10-year prison sentence for her role in the death of her mother, Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard.
Their relationship faced several ups and downs. They broke up after Blanchard was released from prison in 2023, but rekindled their romance and welcomed their daughter Aurora in December 2024.
Blanchard expressed her grief in a statement to People, saying, 'Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved. He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.
Blanchard also addressed the cyberbullying Urker endured, stating, 'Ken endured an unimaginable level of public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying across social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit. The cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure.
Blanchard and Urker had a daughter named Aurora Raina Urker, born in December 2024.
Blanchard and Urker had previously been engaged in 2018 but called off the engagement shortly after.
Blanchard’s brother, Dylan, and his wife visited Urker’s home in Louisiana to pick him up for dinner but found him unresponsive.
Blanchard and Urker had also been involved with Ryan Anderson, who wrote to Blanchard while she was in prison and married her shortly before her release.
Blanchard and Anderson divorced not long after her release.
Blanchard and Urker appeared together on the Lifetime show 'Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup.
What's confirmed
- Blanchard reportedly texted Urker “Happy Birthday” but did not get a response.
What's still developing
- Blanchard and Urker started dating again after she and Anderson split.
- “He will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten.” Blanchard rose to notoriety after she persuaded her then-boyfriend to kill her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard — who had for years claimed her daughter was suffering from leukaemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses.
- It later transpired that Blanchard, now 35, was perfectly healthy and not developmentally delayed.
- It was Blanchard’s then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn who perpetrated the crime in 2015, but Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role.
- Gypsy-Rose Blanchard's former fiancé Ken Urker has died aged 34.
- “I believe the tremendous weight of that scrutiny and harassment had a profound impact on him, and I hope his passing serves as a reminder that there is a real person behind every screen, every headline, and every comment.” Blanchard, who has described their daughter as "a beautiful reflection of her enduring spirit", asked for privacy for Urker's loved ones.