Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has broken her silence on the sudden death of her on-off fiance Ken Urker at the age of 33.
Urker was discovered unresponsive in Louisiana on Thursday, October 1, the same day that he was celebrating his birthday, TMZ reported.
Blanchard had reportedly texted Urker ‘Happy Birthday,’ but she never received a response.
In a statement provided to the outlet, Blanchard claimed her ex, with whom she shares a one-year-old daughter, was ‘relentlessly cyberbullied’ prior to his untimely passing.
‘Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved,’ she began, adding that Urker would ‘forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.’
Blanchard said that her ex went through an ‘unimaginable level of public scrutiny’ while being with her and that the ‘cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure.’
She noted that the online harassment had a ‘profound impact’ on Urker.
In regards to their infant daughter Aurora, Blanchard vowed to ‘make sure she grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her.’
Ken Urker, the former fiancé of convicted murderer Gypsy Rose Blanchard, has died at the age of 33. Urker was discovered unresponsive in Louisiana, TMZ reports
Family sources told the publication that Urker was discovered at home. He and Blanchard shared a 21-month-old daughter that they welcomed in December 2024
Blanchard said that she would also ensure her daughter knew ‘who [Urker] was beyond what strangers on the internet chose to say about him.’
Family sources told the publication that Urker was discovered at home by her brother, Dylan.
According to People, Dylan and his wife had planned to go out to dinner with Urker before they arrived at his home.
They added that the tragic news had left both Blanchard and Urker’s families in shock.
Urker’s sister, Autumn, reportedly confirmed his death on Thursday night after going live on TikTok.
She said her brother’s last words to her had been, ‘I love you.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Blanchard’s representatives for comment.
The former couple shared a 21-month-old daughter, Aurora Raina Urker, whom they welcomed on December 28, 2024.
Her birth coincided with the one-year anniversary of Blanchard’s release from prison after she served seven years behind bars for her part in the murder of her abusive mother, Claudine ‘Dee Dee’ Blanchard.
Blanchard and Urker had an on–off relationship as they got engaged in October 2018 while she was incarcerated, only for them to split months later, before reuniting in August 2019.
After they separated again for several years, she went on to tie the knot with another man, Ryan Scott Anderson, in July 2022, while she was still serving time for killing her mother.
In March 2024, three months after her release, Blanchard announced that she and Anderson had separated, and in April of that year, she and Urker reconciled.
Blanchard and Urker got engaged in October 2018 while she was incarcerated, before breaking up months later and reuniting in August 2019. After they separated again for several years, she went on to tie the knot with Ryan Scott Anderson (above) in July 2022
In March 2024, three months after her release from prison, Blanchard announced that she and Anderson had separated, and in April of that year, she and Urker reconciled
Blanchard was a victim as a child of Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, after her mother Dee Dee (above) forced her to pose as an invalid by remaining in a wheelchair. Dee Dee kept Gypsy-Rose drugged to convince the world that her daughter had muscular dystrophy and leukemia
Their warped relationship came to an end in 2015, when Gypsy-Rose’s boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn (L), crept into their home in Springfield, Missouri, and stabbed Dee Dee, 48, to death. Blanchard (R) pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and spent nearly 10 years in prison
Blanchard was a victim as a child of Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, after her mother Dee Dee forced her to pose as an invalid by remaining in a wheelchair at all times in public.
Dee Dee shaved Gypsy-Rose’s head and kept her drugged to convince the world that her daughter had muscular dystrophy and was battling leukemia.
But their warped relationship came to an end in 2015, when Gypsy-Rose’s boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, crept into their home in Springfield, Missouri, and stabbed Dee Dee to death. She was 48.
Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and spent nearly 10 years in prison before being released in December 2022 after being granted an early parole.
While in prison, she bonded with Urker after he sent her a letter, and they started corresponding.
Things soon turned romantic, and he went on to propose in 2018.
But after the Hulu miniseries The Act – which starred Joey King as Gypsy and Patricia Arquette as her mother – premiered a few months later and put an intense spotlight on Gypsy’s story, she admitted in her memoir that Ken couldn’t handle the sudden wave of attention.
After announcing her split from her husband, Ryan Anderson, in March 2024, Blanchard revealed in July of that year that she and her reunited fiancé Urker were expecting a child.
After announcing her split from her husband, Ryan Anderson, in March 2024, Blanchard revealed in July of that year that she and her reunited fiancé Urker were expecting a child
Following their reunion, Urker looked back on how they reconnected while speaking to People.
‘The very first weekend of April [2024] is when I came to visit her for the first time after she had gotten out. We spent that weekend together and had an incredible time,’ he said.
Their renewed connection was strong enough that they made plans to meet again a month later to attend a jazz festival together.
‘Then shortly after that, we realized we were going to have a baby,’ Urker added.
