Gypsy Rose Blanchard is addressing what she claims is the harm Ken Urker’s sister, Autumn, is doing to her ex-fiancé’s legacy in the wake of his untimely death.
“I want to address this once, and only once. Just because someone is family does not mean they are privy to every detail of a person’s life, nor does it give them the right to speak on that person’s behalf,” Blanchard, 35, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, October 13. “Unfortunately, even in the most tragic circumstances, there are those who see an opportunity rather than a loss.”
Blanchard continued, “It is no secret that Ken’s sister, Autumn, and I have never been on good terms. She has been openly opposed to our relationship from the beginning. Despite my repeated attempts to make peace with her, that hostility continued.”
Blanchard — who was previously engaged to Urker and welcomed a daughter with him during their romance — claimed that she “watched Autumn publicly criticize Urker through social media livestreams” for “the past six months” before his October 1 death.
“To now see her speaking to media outlets following his passing, after the way she publicly treated him while he was alive, is something I find deeply disturbing and disrespectful to his memory,” she claimed. “During my final phone conversation with Ken, he confided in me that Autumn had threatened to intensify her public attacks against him. That is a conversation I will never forget, and it makes the events following his death all the more painful.”
Blanchard added that it is “particularly troubling” for her to see Autumn act as an “authority” on Urker’s “private life, his relationships, or his state of mind” amid their alleged complicated relationship.
“Being related to someone does not automatically mean you knew their heart, understood their struggles, or had their trust,” she continued “I cannot speak to anyone else’s motives, but I can speak to what I witnessed, what Ken shared with me, and the pain he experienced from public scrutiny, including from people close to him. Ken deserves to be remembered for the man he was, the father he was, and the love he gave to those closest to him. His passing should not become another opportunity for public conflict, speculation, or personal gain.”
Blanchard ended her post sharing that she “will continue to protect Ken’s memory, speak about the man I knew and loved, and advocate for the dignity and respect he deserved in life and still deserves in death.”
Us has reached out to Autumn for comment.
Urker was found dead at his home in Raceland, Louisiana, on the day of his 34th birthday. A spokesperson for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Us that officers “responded to a residence” and found Urker was “dead upon [their] arrival.”
Investigators previously indicated that there were no signs of foul play at the scene. A cause of death has yet to be determined.
