Gypsy-Rose Blanchard says ex-fiancé experienced 'relentless cyberbullying' before death

Connor McCroryFri, October 2, 2026 at 6:00 AM UTC

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard has spoken out -Credit:Gypsy-Rose Blanchard/Instagram

Gypsy Rose Blanchard said her former fiancé, Ken Urker, the father of her young daughter, was subjected to "relentless cyberbullying" in the months before he was found dead.

Urker sadly died on Thursday, October 1, in a Louisiana home on what would have been his 34th birthday. In a statement, Blanchard described Urker as a devoted parent and partner.

"Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved," she said. She added that Urker "will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase." The news follows Rob Lowe's niece Fiona Lowe's cause of death at 13 being revealed as her family mourns the "light of their life."

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The phrase red string refers to an East Asian legend in which an invisible red thread links people who are destined to be together. Blanchard told TMZ Urker had endured an "unimaginable level of public scrutiny" and "relentless cyberbullying" on social media, saying the "cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure." She said she believes the attention and online harassment had a "profound impact" on him, but she did not elaborate.

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Blanchard said Urker had endured an 'unimaginable level of public scrutiny' -Credit:Variety via Getty Images

The couple shares a daughter, Aurora Blanchard, and Gypsy-Rose Blanchard said she "will make sure she grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her and who he was beyond what strangers on the internet chose to say about him."

Blanchard and Urker first connected through a prison pen pal program while she was incarcerated for her role in the 2015 killing of her mother, Clauddinea "Dee Dee" Blanchard, in Springfield, Missouri. Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Her case drew national attention after it emerged that her mother had for years falsely portrayed her as severely ill, subjecting her to unnecessary medical treatments.

Her case drew national attention after it emerged that her mother had for years falsely portrayed her as severely ill -Credit:Getty Images

The story became the subject of documentaries and a television drama series, and Blanchard has remained a fixture of public interest since.

Urker proposed to Blanchard during a prison visit in October 2018, but the engagement ended a short time later. Blanchard went on to marry Ryan Anderson while she was still behind bars.

After she was released on parole in December 2023, Blanchard separated from Anderson and rekindled her relationship with Urker. Their romance played out in part on social media and reality television, drawing intense attention from fans and critics alike.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”