Gypsy Rose Blanchard has said she is mourning the death of her “forever soul mate” after her partner Ken Urker died of a drug overdose.
According to People magazine, a family member found Urk unresponsive in bed at their Raceland, Louisiana, home on Thursday, which would have been his 34th birthday.
The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office is investigating Erck’s death, but Blanchard suspects he died of a drug overdose.
“I don’t know if it was intentional or not,” she said. “He’s not in a good mental state lately.”
Officials have not yet revealed the cause of Erck’s death.
Blanchard told TMZ that a substance was found – even though she had never seen Urke take drugs before.
“I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t think straight,” she told People of his sudden death. “I screamed until my throat burned.”
Convicted killer Blanchard, who shared her one-year-old daughter Aurora Raina with Ucker, said the child’s father did not have a drug problem and paid a glowing tribute.
“Ken was an amazing father and a deeply loved man,” she told the outlet. “He will always be my soul mate and my red string, a connection that cannot be erased by time, distance, or even death.”
Blanchard deleted his social media in early March 2024 and lashed out at online trolls.
“Ken endured unimaginable public scrutiny and relentless cyberbullying on social media platforms, including TikTok and Reddit,” she said.
“The cruelty directed at him is something no one should have to endure.
“I believe the enormity of this censorship and harassment had a profound impact on him, and I hope his death serves as a reminder that there is a real person behind every screen, every headline and every comment.
“Most of all, Ken loved our daughter Aurora. She was a beautiful embodiment 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 much her dad loves her and who he is beyond what strangers on the internet say about him.”
Blanchard said Uke will be “deeply missed, forever loved and never forgotten.”
“There are no words to express the magnitude of this loss. I ask for privacy and compassion for our daughter, our family and everyone grieving Ken during this extremely painful time,” she said.
The couple met as prison pen pals while she was in prison for her role in the 2015 murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
They got engaged in October 2018 after Uecker proposed to Blanchard, just a year after meeting him.
Blanchard revealed in an interview with ENews in August 2019 (the same month they broke up) that the issue was not “out of the blue.”
“he [Urker] Blanchard held my hand tightly and told me how much I meant to him, and he said, ‘I would be really, really honored if I could hold your hand and get married,’ and I said yes. ” said Blanchard, describing the proposal.
Erck did not give her a ring because she received a silver ring, but it was confiscated by Chillicothe Correctional Center prison staff.
While in prison, Blanchard married Ryan Anderson in July 2022 and was released from prison on December 28, 2023, having served 85% of his 10-year sentence.
She and Anderson divorced in 2024 and later rekindled their romance with Erke.
They got matching husky tattoos in April 2024, when Blanchard announced she was pregnant.
“This was not planned at all,” she said in a now-deleted TikTok video. “It was completely unexpected, but we are both so excited to embark on this new journey of parenthood.”
Urker announced the birth of his daughter on January 1, 2025.
“Welcome 2025 with the greatest gift of all,” he said.