- Ken Urker, who was engaged to Gypsy Rose Blanchard, has died aged 33.
- The Lafourche Sheriff’s Office said Urker was ‘found dead upon arrival’ after officers responded to a call on 1 October.
- Urker and Blanchard had an on/off relationship for almost a decade and welcomed their daughter, Aurora Raina Urker, in December 2024.
Ken Urker dies aged 33 as death investigation continues
Ken Urker, who was engaged to Gypsy Rose Blanchard, has died aged 33. In a statement shared with LADbible, the Lafourche Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to a call at around 6.15pm on 1 October and that Urker was ‘found dead upon arrival’.
Urker’s cause of death has not been revealed. The Lafourche Sheriff’s Office said it is ‘continuing the death investigation’. According to a report by TMZ, Urker was found unresponsive at his Louisiana home on his birthday, 1 October.
TMZ reported that Blanchard sent Urker a message wishing him a ‘happy birthday’, but the message went unanswered. No further details about the circumstances surrounding his death have been disclosed.
Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s relationship
Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard first met as pen pals while Blanchard was serving a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddine ‘Dee Dee’ Blanchard, in 2015.
Speaking to E! News in 2019, Blanchard said Urker contacted her after seeing her story on television. She shared:
“He wrote me a letter of support after watching the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest back in 2017. “I wrote him back and pretty soon we just started writing on a weekly basis. We became fast friends.”
The pair later began speaking by telephone. Blanchard said:
“I talked to him like I had known him my whole life and vice versa.”
Urker and Blanchard became engaged the year after they began communicating, but their relationship ended the following year. Blanchard later married Ryan Anderson while she was incarcerated in 2020, although the couple subsequently separated.
Blanchard and Urker rekindled their relationship in 2024 after her release from prison. Speaking to E! News that year, Blanchard said:
“It wasn’t until I filed for divorce that I kind of really realised that that spark, that connection [with Urker] is even better than I expected. And we’ve grown a lot. I’ve matured. He’s grown. And so I think right now is the time in our lives that it’s the right time, right place, right everything.”
Urker and Blanchard welcomed daughter Aurora Raina
In December 2024, Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard welcomed their daughter, Aurora Raina Urker. Urker also appeared alongside Blanchard on the television show Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.
Why is Gypsy Rose Blanchard famous?
Gypsy Rose Blanchard became known worldwide because of the unusual circumstances surrounding her childhood and her mother’s death. Clauddine ‘Dee Dee’ Blanchard spent years claiming that her daughter had several illnesses, including leukaemia, muscular dystrophy and developmental issues.
Dee Dee was suspected of having Munchausen by proxy, now known as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA). It is a serious and rare form of abuse in which a caregiver, often a parent, fabricates, exaggerates or induces physical or mental illness in someone under their care.
During Blanchard’s childhood, her mother reportedly forced her to use a wheelchair, had her fitted with a feeding tube and subjected her to surgeries she did not need. As a teenager, Blanchard began an online relationship with Nicholas Godejohn, and the pair developed a plan to kill Dee Dee.
In June 2015, Godejohn fatally stabbed Dee Dee. Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder at trial and received a 10-year sentence. Godejohn was found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus 25 years for armed criminal action.
Why This Matters
Ken Urker’s death comes after his long and publicly documented relationship with Gypsy Rose Blanchard, including their engagement, separation, reconciliation and the birth of their daughter. Their relationship was also featured on Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up.
The Lafourche Sheriff’s Office has not disclosed Urker’s cause of death and says the death investigation is continuing. Further information will depend on the findings of that investigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Ken Urker?
Ken Urker was Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s former fiancé and partner. The pair met as pen pals while Blanchard was in prison, later became engaged, reunited in 2024 and welcomed their daughter, Aurora Raina Urker, in December 2024.
How did Ken Urker die?
His cause of death has not been revealed. The Lafourche Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to a call on 1 October and found Urker dead upon arrival. The death investigation is continuing.
Who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard?
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is known for the case involving her mother, Clauddine ‘Dee Dee’ Blanchard. Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in her mother’s 2015 death and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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