Gypsy Rose Blanchard wished Ken Urker happy birthday before he was found dead at 33

Gypsy Rose Blanchard reached out to Ken Urker with a birthday message on Thursday, but he did not respond. Urker was later found unresponsive at a home in Louisiana on Oct. 1, his 33rd birthday.

TMZ first reported Urker’s death, citing family sources familiar with what happened. According to the outlet, Blanchard had texted Urker “Happy Birthday” earlier that day and did not receive a reply. A family member later found him unresponsive at the home. No official cause of death has been announced, and additional details about the circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been released.

Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard first connected while she was in prison

Urker first contacted Blanchard in 2017 while she was serving a 10-year prison sentence for her role in the 2015 death of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. According to A&E, Urker had seen the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest and wrote Blanchard a letter after learning about her case.

The two continued communicating and eventually developed a romantic relationship. Urker visited Blanchard while she was incarcerated, and the couple became engaged in 2018. Their first engagement ended the following year, and the two went their separate ways.

Blanchard later began a relationship with Ryan Anderson and married him in July 2022 while she was still in prison. She was released on parole on Dec. 28, 2023, after serving more than eight years of her sentence. Blanchard and Anderson separated in March 2024, and she filed for divorce the following month.

Urker reentered Blanchard’s life around the same period. After the two were seen spending time together following her separation from Anderson, Blanchard confirmed in April 2024 that she and Urker had rekindled their relationship.

Several months later, Blanchard announced that she and Urker were expecting a child. Their daughter, Aurora, was born on Dec. 28, 2024, exactly one year after Blanchard’s release from prison.

Ken Urker and Gypsy Rose Blanchard later became parents together

After Aurora’s birth, Urker remained connected to Blanchard as the two adjusted to raising their daughter. A&E reported that the pair attended couples therapy, and Blanchard later discussed changes in their living situation after restrictions connected to her parole came to an end.

Their relationship had changed several times over the years. Beginning as correspondence during Blanchard’s incarceration developed into an engagement, followed by a breakup and then a reunion years later. By the time Aurora was born, Urker had become part of Blanchard’s post-prison life as both her partner and the father of her child.

Urker’s death was reported on Thursday after he was found unresponsive at the Louisiana home. Family sources told TMZ that Blanchard had reached out to him earlier that day to wish him a happy birthday but did not receive a response.

A family member later discovered Urker inside the home. He was 33 years old.

As of Thursday night, no official cause of death had been made public. Authorities and family members had also not released further information about what may have happened before Urker was found.

Urker leaves behind his and Blanchard’s 1-year-old daughter, Aurora. More information about his death is expected as additional details become available.

This is a developing story.

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