Ken Urker, Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Partner, Dies at 34: What We Know

• Ken Urker, 34, the father of Gypsy Rose Blanchard‘s daughter, was found dead Thursday, Oct. 1, his birthday, in Raceland, Louisiana.
• Blanchard says he died of an overdose. Deputies say they have found “no evidence of foul play” so far, and the coroner will conduct a full post-mortem examination.
• She also said online cruelty weighed on him, and she posted a tribute calling him her “greatest love story.”

Ken Urker, the father of Gypsy Rose Blanchard‘s 21-month-old daughter, died Thursday, Oct. 1, the day he turned 34. Deputies from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office were called to a home in Raceland, Louisiana, at 6:15 p.m. and found him dead.

Blanchard, 35, told People that Urker died of an overdose. Investigators have not confirmed a cause of death.

How did Ken Urker die?

Capt. Brennan Matherne of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said Urker was dead when deputies arrived. He said investigators do not yet have evidence of a crime, but have not closed the door on one.

To this point in the investigation, we have found no evidence of foul play. I cannot say that it has been completely ruled out.

Capt. Brennan Matherne, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office

Lafourche Parish Coroner Kayla Breaux said her office will conduct a full post-mortem examination. “At this time, I am not releasing any additional information,” she said.

The overdose comes from Blanchard’s own account. She said she believes that is what happened and that Urker had not been in a good state of mind lately. The sheriff’s office and the coroner have not confirmed either point.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The SAMHSA National Helpline for substance use is 1-800-662-4357.

What has Gypsy Rose Blanchard said?

“Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved,” Blanchard told People. She said he “will forever be my soulmate and my red string,” and described being in disbelief: “I can’t think. I’ve screamed until my throat burns.”

On Instagram on Friday, Oct. 2, she posted photos and videos of the two of them: Urker singing, playing with their daughter and recreating the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp. The caption read: “You will always be my greatest love story. You will be remembered and loved forever.”

In her Instagram Stories, Blanchard said Urker had faced “relentless cyberbullying” across social media, including TikTok and Reddit, and that the harassment had a profound impact on him.

Who was Ken Urker?

Urker wrote to Blanchard while she was in prison in 2017. They got engaged in 2018 and split in August 2019. Blanchard served seven years for the 2015 killing of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, and was released in December 2023.

She had married Ryan Anderson while incarcerated and has since divorced. She and Urker reconnected in April 2024, and in July she told ABC’s Good Morning America about her pregnancy, six months after leaving prison.

Their daughter, Aurora, was born on Dec. 28, 2024. Before the birth, Blanchard posted paternity test results on Instagram, a moment her Lifetime series showed on screen. “Ken is going to be an incredible dad,” she wrote.

Urker appeared on Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, the Lifetime series that followed her after prison, including her pregnancy. In March 2025, ABC’s Nightline interviewed the couple together about parenthood.

More from Celebrities: what Trina Braxton said after her husband Von Scales died, how Chad Lowe’s family remembered their daughter Fiona and what the Gerber family has said since Presley’s death.

— Bruno Monteiro

Sources: Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office (Capt. Brennan Matherne) and Lafourche Parish Coroner Kayla Breaux, statements of Oct. 1–2, 2026; Gypsy Rose Blanchard to People and on Instagram and Instagram Stories, Oct. 2, 2026; Gypsy Rose Blanchard on Instagram (paternity announcement, as shown in Lifetime’s Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up). CBS News (Lucia I Suarez Sang), Oct. 2, 2026; TODAY (Scott Stump), Oct. 2, 2026; Newsweek (Anna Skinner), Oct. 2, 2026; Oxygen, Oct. 2, 2026; TMZ, Oct. 2, 2026. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and SAMHSA National Helpline (U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Photos and video: ABC News (Nightline, March 2025; Good Morning America, January and July 2024); Lifetime (Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up, 2024–2025); 60 Minutes Australia (Nine).