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Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Boyfriend Ken Urker Dead at 33
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is weathering an unimaginable tragedy.
The Life After Lock Up star's boyfriend Ken Urker died on his 33rd birthday on Oct. 1 in Louisiana, the Lafourche Sherriff’s Office confirmed to E! News.
In addition to their 21-month-old daughter Aurora, Blanchard and Urker shared a long history spanning back to her days in prison, when she was serving time for the 2015 murder of her mom Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard.
The pair first connected in 2017, when he wrote to her in prison after watching Mommy Dead and Dearest, the HBO documentary about Blanchard's complicated relationship with her late mother, who allegedly suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy syndrome.
"We became fast friends," Blanchard recounted in a 2019 interview with E! News. "It was pretty soon after that that we started talking on the phone. We would spend hours on the phone. I talked to him like I had known him my whole life and vice versa."
Their initial chemistry was so strong that Urker proposed in 2018, popping the question with a "silver band" that Blanchard said was later confiscated by prison guards. But as Blanchard continued to serve her prison sentence, their romance fizzled out.
By the time Blanchard was freed in 2023, she was married to Ryan Anderson—a special education teacher she met through prison correspondence—for over than a year. Still, Blanchard had Urker on her mind, with her admitting to Anderson on the first season of Life After Lock Up that she had spoken to her ex-fiancé three weeks before their wedding.
"It's one of those things where it's like, 'Do I worry that she'll leave me for him?'" Anderson said at the time. "I do feel second fiddle."
Blanchard and Anderson eventually called it quits in 2024, with her reuniting with Urker soon after the breakup.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Instagram
"Ken and I have kept a friendship this whole time," Blanchard told E! News that year. "It wasn't until I filed for divorce that I kind of really realized that that spark, that connection [with Urker] is even better than I expected."
As for why they were giving their relationship a second chance? "We've grown a lot. I've matured. He's grown," Blanchard explained. "Right now is the time in our lives that it's the right time, right place, right everything."
For a closer look at Blanchard and Urker's life together, read on.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
"The One"
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Origin Story
The couple, who got engaged in 2018, even managed to create a festive atmosphere while Blanchard was incarcerated.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
What She Said
They split up in 2019 but, as Blanchard later noted, fate would come back to find them...
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
On the Outside
While Blanchard went on to tie the knot with teacher Ryan Anderson in 2022, she filed for divorce after less than two years of marriage. She and Urker Ken reunited in the spring of 2024.
"We are together and in a wonderful place in our relationship," she told TMZ that April. "We know it is going to be a long road ahead but are excited for the future."
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Sunnier Days Ahead
Cloudy skies couldn't put a damper on the rekindled pair's mood.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Cozying Up
Blanchard cuddled up next to Urker in this selfie snapped after their reunion.
TikTok / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Sweet Laughter
Whatever he said had Blanchard beaming in a video about their "love story."
Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Instagram
Scenes From a Romance
Blanchard shared a collage of some of her and Urker's most adorable moments a few weeks before revealing her pregnancy with their first child together.
At the time, she noted that their baby was due in January 2025.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
It's a Girl
The two found out they were expecting a baby girl during a sex reveal party in August 2024.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard/Instagram
Date Night
Before they become a family of three, Blanchard and Urker dined at a table for two during a September 2024 date night.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Romantic Getaway
The parents-to-be took a trip to California, including Marina Del Rey, that October.
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Making Memories
And while Blanchard noted on Instagram the view of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge was "incredible," she added, "the company made it unforgettable."
Instagram / Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Selfie Time
The duo sported their shades in this sunny snap.
Instagram/Gypsy Rose Blanchard
And Then There Were Three
On December 28, 2024, exactly one year after Blanchard was released from prison, she and Urker welcomed their daughter Auora.
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard/Instagram
First Birthday
Blanchard and Urker rang in their little girl's first birthday in 2025 with a Ms. Rachel-themed party.
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