Gypsy Rose Blanchard confirmed that her 34-year-old boyfriend Ken Urker died from a drug overdose on Thursday.
Blanchard said that Urker died in his bed at home in Louisiana on his 34th birthday.
“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 added. “I’ve screamed until my throat burns.”
The pair shares a young daughter, Aurora, who was born in December 2024.
TMZ was the first to report that Urker was discovered dead as an investigation began. Blanchard also gave a lengthy statement to People, saying she had some theories as to why Urker was so troubled.
“Ken was 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 told the outlet.
“Ken endured an unimaginable level of public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying across social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit. The cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure,” she went on. “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.”
Blanchard added, “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.”
“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,” she concluded. “He will be deeply missed, forever loved, and never forgotten.”
Urker and Blanchard began their relationship while Blanchard was in prison for the murder of her mother, Dee Dee. Urker proposed in October 2018, but they called off the engagement. Blanchard then married someone else and divorced him shortly after being released from prison in 2023.
She reunited with Urker in 2024 and had their daughter 8 months later.
Dee Dee Blanchard was accused of subjecting Gypsy Rose to years of severe medical abuse through a psychological condition known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. In 2015, Gypsy Rose and her online boyfriend plotted to kill her mother. Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for her role in the stabbing death of her mother.
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