Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s fiancé, Ken Urker, has reportedly died in Louisiana. He was 33.
TMZ reported that Urker was found unresponsive on Thursday, October 1, which was his birthday.
According to the outlet, Blanchard had sent a text message to Urker to say “Happy birthday” before a family member found him in the home. Urker’s sister, Autumn, confirmed the news via TikTok Live on Thursday evening.
Blanchard and Urker shared one child together, a 1-year-old daughter named Aurora Raina Urker.
The pair began dating after Blanchard’s split from her ex-husband Ryan Anderson in March 2024. Blanchard and Anderson finalized their divorce in December 2024.
Blanchard and Urker’s relationship began as pen pals when Urker wrote Blanchard a “letter of support” while she was incarcerated following the release of the 2017 HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest.
The pair were in contact while Blanchard was serving out seven years in prison for her role in the 2015 murder of her mom, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
Speaking to E! News in 2019 Blanchard recalled Urker visiting her in prison and the pair sharing a kiss.
“He came and it was kind of a funny story but within the first 30 minutes he leaned over and gave me the most wonderful kiss of my whole life,” she told the outlet. “The kiss he gave me was quite passionate. I looked at him and was like, ‘I didn’t even know you liked me like that,’ and he said ‘Yeah, I have for a while.’ And I’m like, ‘I have for a while too.’”
Urker proposed to Blanchard in October 2018 while she was still in prison but they split the following year.
In 2022, Blanchard tied the knot with Anderson in 2022 during a prison ceremony, but she filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage.
In a June 2024 YouTube video, Blanchard gushed about her relationship with Urker, telling her followers that the romance had brought her the most joy since her release.
“I felt like I made that choice as a free woman. I made that choice as an independent woman, and I think everyone should follow their heart. If they know what they want in life and they know what’s gonna make them happy, I absolutely feel like no matter what, you should go for it,” she said . “Life is too dang short to be sad or feel trapped by anything in your life. I was in a marriage that I was unhappy with and I knew that my heart was elsewhere, and so, I followed that. And I’m happy, I’m very happy. This is the happiest that I’ve ever been in my entire life, and I’m not ashamed of that.”
