Ken Urker, the father of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard’s daughter who also appeared on the Lifetime show Gypsy Rose: Life after confinementdied Thursday on his birthday. He was 34 years old.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Urker died at a home in Raceland, Louisiana. “We responded to a residence located at 107 Double H Drive, Lot 4, 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 to investigate the death,” authorities wrote in a statement. The Hollywood Reporter.
The cause of his death was not immediately available.
“Ken was an extraordinary father and a deeply loved man. He will forever be my soul mate and my common thread, a bond that time, distance and even death can never erase,” Blanchard said. People late Thursday evening. “Most of 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.”
“There are no words to express the depth of this loss. I ask for privacy and compassion for our daughter, our families and all those who mourn Ken during this incredibly painful time,” she continued. “He will be deeply missed, forever loved and never forgotten. »
Blanchard and Urker first met when the latter began writing her letters in 2017 while in prison. Before being released in 2023, Blanchard served seven to eight years in prison for her role in the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
“When I first wrote to him, it wasn’t because I was looking for a girlfriend. I can’t tell you what I was thinking at the time, when I was 24, but I just wanted to let him know that you have support here,” Urker previously shared on the first season of Life after detention in 2024. “But she was getting, you know, hundreds of these kinds of letters all the time, so I don’t know why she wrote back to me, but I’m glad she did.” The series follows Blanchard as she lives the life of a free woman, reconnecting with friends and family after her prison sentence.
After growing closer through letters and phone calls, Urker proposed to Blanchard during a prison visit in 2018. However, they separated the following year.
A few years later, Blanchard married Ryan Anderson in 2022 while she was still incarcerated. They remained together for a short time after his release, with Anderson also appearing in Life after detentionbut they separated in 2024.
Blanchard and Urker quickly reunited, later welcoming their daughter, Aurora Raina Urker, in December 2024.
Blanchard had already opened up to People about parenthood, saying, “It’s one of those touching moments because it’s like it’s new to both of us, but Ken was also young when we met, and so it’s adorable and really heartwarming to see him grow and mature through this process.”
It is unclear whether Blanchard and Urker were still together at the time of his death.
October 1, 9:17 p.m. Updated with statement from Gypsy-Rose Blanchard given to People.
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