Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Partner Ken Urker Died After Overdose
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is speaking out in the wake of her boyfriend Ken Urker's death.
Hours after police confirmed to E! News that Urker was found dead in Louisiana on Oct. 1, the Life After Lock Up star spoke out about her grief and said the 34-year-old had overdosed before dying in his bed at home in Raceland, an area southwest of New Orleans.
“I don’t know if it was intentional or not,” Blanchard told People. “He was not in a good state of mind lately."
“I’m in disbelief. I can’t think,” she continued. “I’ve screamed until my throat burns.”
The 35-year-old—who shared daughter Aurora, 21 months, with Urker—said her late partner "endured an unimaginable level of public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying across social media platforms" prior to his death.
"The cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure,” she shared. “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.”
As such, Blanchard is choosing to remember Urker as "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," she said. "Above all, Ken loved our daughter, Aurora. She is a beautiful reflection of his enduring spirit, and through her, a part of him will always remain with us."
“I will make sure she grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her and who he was beyond what strangers on the internet chose to say about him," Blanchard added. "There are no words that can express the depth of this loss. I ask for privacy and compassion for our daughter, our families, and everyone grieving Ken during this incredibly painful time. He will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten."
Instagram / Ken Urker
Blanchard first met Urker in 2017, when she was serving out her prison sentence for her involvement in the 2015 murder of her mom Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard.
"He wrote me a letter of support after watching the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest," she told E! News in 2019. "It was pretty soon after that that we started talking on the phone. We would spend hours on the phone. I talked to him like I had known him my whole life and vice versa."
They got engaged while Blanchard was still behind bars. However, the two eventually went their separate ways, with Blanchard going on to marry Ryan Anderson, a special education teacher she met through prison correspondence, in 2020.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Blanchard rekindled her romance with Urker following her 2023 prison release and 2024 divorce from Anderson.
"When did I know he was the one?" Blanchard mused in 2024 interview with E! News. "Probably the day I met him back in 2017."
She added, "It wasn't until I filed for divorce that I kind of really realized that spark, that connection [with Urker] is even better than I expected."
Read on for a closer look at Blanchard and Urker's relationship.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
"The One"
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Origin Story
The couple, who got engaged in 2018, even managed to create a festive atmosphere while Blanchard was incarcerated.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
What She Said
They split up in 2019 but, as Blanchard later noted, fate would come back to find them...
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
On the Outside
While Blanchard went on to tie the knot with teacher Ryan Anderson in 2022, she filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage. She and Urker Ken reunited in the spring of 2024.
"We are together and in a wonderful place in our relationship," she told TMZ that April. "We know it is going to be a long road ahead but are excited for the future."
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Sunnier Days Ahead
Cloudy skies couldn't put a damper on the rekindled pair's mood.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Cozying Up
Blanchard cuddled up next to Urker in this selfie snapped after their reunion.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Sweet Laughter
Whatever he said had Blanchard beaming in a video about their "love story."
Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Instagram
Scenes From a Romance
Blanchard shared a collage of some of her and Urker's most adorable moments a few weeks before revealing her pregnancy with their first child together.
At the time, she noted that their baby was due in January 2025.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
It's a Girl
The two found out they were expecting a baby girl during a sex reveal party in August 2024.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Instagram
Date Night
Before they become a family of three, Blanchard and Urker dined at a table for two during a September 2024 date night.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Romantic Getaway
The parents-to-be took a trip to California, including Marina Del Rey, that October.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Making Memories
And while Blanchard noted on Instagram the view of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge was "incredible," she added, "the company made it unforgettable."
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Selfie Time
The duo sported their shades in this sunny snap.
Instagram/Gypsy Rose Blanchard
And Then There Were Three
On December 28, 2024, exactly one year after Blanchard was released from prison, she and Urker welcomed their daughter Auora.
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard/Instagram
First Birthday
Blanchard and Urker rang in their little girl's first birthday in 2025 with a Ms. Rachel-themed party.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.