Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s fiancé, Ken Urker, has tragically passed away at the age of 33, TMZ reports.
The news was confirmed to PEOPLE.
He was found unresponsive in Louisiana on Thursday, Oct. 1, which is his birthday, according to family sources that spoke with the outlet.
“We responded to a residence in Raceland today after receiving a call at 6:15 p.m. Kenan Urker, 34, was found dead upon arrival. At this time, we are continuing the death investigation,” the Lafourche Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Urker reportedly received a “happy birthday” text from Gypsy, but he never responded. He was found by Blanchard’s brother Dylan and his wife, who arrived at the home to go to dinner with Urker.
“We’re told Gypsy, her family and Ken’s family are in shock,” TMZ writes.
Ken’s sister Autumn went live on TikTok on the evening of Oct. 1, confirming news of his passing and saying his last words to her were, “I love you.”
This story will continue to be updated.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Speaks Out
In a statement to TMZ, Blanchard paid tribute to Urker, while also explaining that he was the victim of “relentless cyberbullying” before his passing.
“Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved,” she told the outlet, adding that he “will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.”
As for their daughter Aurora, Blanchard she she “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.”
She explained how Urker dealt with an “unimaginable level of public scrutiny,” as well as “relentless cyberbullying” on social media. Blanchard said the “cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure,” adding that she believes it had a “profound impact” on him.
Blanchard also shared a statement with PEOPLE, explaining that she believes Urker died from an overdose.
“I don’t know if it was intentional or not,” she said. “He was not in a good state of mind lately.”
“I’m in disbelief. I can’t think,” she added. “I’ve screamed until my throat burns.”
Ken Urker & Gypsy-Rose Blanchard Relationship
In an interview with PEOPLE in March 2025, Blanchard and Urker spoke for the first time since they had gotten back together, talking about the way they were navigating their relationship, adding that they were in couples therapy.
“I like it because it gives an unbiased opinion,” Blanchard told the outlet. “Because you don’t want to go to your family all the time to talk about the bad stuff. You never want to have anybody going, ‘Oh, I think…’ You don’t want their opinions to be changed or affected or a bias or anything.”
“So it’s nice for us to have someone in the middle,” she continues. “They can see my side, they can see his side and give us an honest opinion about where we should go and how we could improve.”
This interview occured two months after they welcomed their daughter, in which Blanchard was asked if the two would be together “forever.”
“Absolutely,” she replied. “I’ve always felt that way about him.”
They first met as pen pals when Blanchard was incarcerated, with Urker writing her after watching HBO’s 2017 film Mommy Dead and Dearest about her case.
“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 E! News in 2019. “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.’”
They went on to get engaged in 2018, but ended up breaking up. She then went on to marry Ryan Anderson. But after he and Anderson broke up, she rekindled her romance with Urker, and they announced that they were expecting a baby just a few months later.
Ken Urker Opened Up About Fatherhood
Urker also spoke with PEOPLE about what fatherhood had been like since he and Blanchard welcomed their daughter, Aurora.
““It’s adorable. It really is,” Blanchard said at the time. “It’s one of those heart-touching moments because it’s like, this is new for the both of us, but also Ken was young when we met, and so it’s adorable and really heartwarming to see him grow and mature through this process.”
“I’ve learned that he is a lot more patient than I gave him credit for,” she added. “So it’s been wonderful to watch him grow as a person through the last year, but also step into this new mature role.”
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Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Fiancé Ken Urker Tragically Passes Away at 33 — Our Hearts Go Out