Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has reportedly been invited by Ken Urker’s family to attend a funeral service honoring him after his sudden and tragic death.
Urker was discovered unresponsive at his Louisiana home on Thursday, October 1 — the day he turned 34.
The invitation comes despite allegations from Urker’s sister Autumn, who said her brother had felt “terrified” and “humiliated” by Blanchard.
Family sources told TMZ that Blanchard has been asked to attend a funeral planned for a later date in Urker’s home state of Texas.
According to the sources, Blanchard, 35, remains close to much of Urker’s family, including his mother, Raina. His parents also reportedly do not believe she played a role in his unexpected death.
Blanchard and Urker shared a 21-month-old daughter, Aurora. While she is considering attending the Texas funeral, she also hopes to arrange a separate memorial in Louisiana so her own family and friends can pay their respects, the insiders told TMZ.
Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, 35, has reportedly been invited to Ken Urker’s funeral following his tragic death. She is pictured in New York City in 2024.
Sources told TMZ that Blanchard was invited to a future funeral service for Urker in his native Texas.
The Daily Mail has contacted Blanchard’s representatives for a response but has not received one.
Over the weekend, Blanchard also visited Urker’s casket alongside their young daughter.
Blanchard first became involved with Urker during the seven-year prison sentence she served for her role in the killing of her abusive mother, Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. On Saturday, she attended a private viewing at a Louisiana funeral home.
Family sources told TMZ that she wore a black dress and a necklace Urker had given her to mark their second anniversary.
In an emotional moment, Aurora reportedly recognized her father and said, “Daddy.” Blanchard was later allowed private time alone to say goodbye.
Urker’s mother, Raina, along with his brother and two sisters, were also present for the viewing.
Autumn was absent from the gathering, although sources said she was in Louisiana at the time.
Her absence followed claims she made to the Daily Mail about Urker’s final phone call with her. Autumn said he told her he was “terrified” Blanchard would not be able to keep their daughter “safe,” and that he felt she had “humiliated him.”
Blanchard, who shared 21-month-old daughter Aurora with Urker, is considering attending the Texas funeral while also planning a separate Louisiana memorial for her loved ones, according to TMZ sources.
Days before the reported funeral invitation, Blanchard brought her daughter to visit Urker’s casket.
Autumn Urker, pictured above, told the Daily Mail that her brother said during their final phone call that he was “terrified” Blanchard would not keep their daughter “safe.”
The day after the viewing, Blanchard joined Urker’s relatives for lunch at IHOP, where the group reflected on his life and shared memories.
Urker’s family also arranged for one of his siblings to care for his dog, Parker.
On Monday, it was also revealed that Blanchard’s last text conversations with Urker were about their daughter Aurora. The former couple welcomed Aurora on December 28, 2024.
A source close to the former couple told Page Six that in the weeks prior to his death their texts were ‘normal’ and ‘basically all about Aurora’ and how they would co-parent.
‘She was talking more like a friend kind of level. Just co-parent level,’ the source said. ‘So it was like, “Hey, how’s your day going? Cool.”‘
The insider added that Blanchard avoided flirting in her texts because she knew that Urker was struggling with his mental health and wanted to give him the space to get better, despite wanting to eventually get back with him.
‘Once Gypsy accepted that [their relationship] was over is when she stopped the whole kind of relationship vibe,’ the source claimed.
Urker’s body was found at his Louisiana home last Thursday with syringes, a spoon, a holstered handgun and a ‘brown powdery substance’ nearby, according to police.
The day after the casket viewing, Blanchard and Urker’s relatives reunited to have lunch at IHOP, where they shared memories about him. Above, in LA in 2024
A source close to the former couple told Page Six that in the weeks prior to his death their texts were ‘normal’ and ‘basically all about Aurora’ and how they would co-parent
Blanchard took to her Instagram Story on Monday to thank friends, family and followers for their condolences.
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She wrote: ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has reached out with love, prayers, and condolences.’
‘I’m sorry I can’t respond to every message, but please know I see them and I’m so grateful.’
Blanchard began corresponding with Urker in jail in 2017 after he watched an HBO documentary about her and decided to get in touch.
Urker proposed in 2018 only for them to split months later, after which she married special education teacher Ryan Anderson in prison.
Blanchard was granted early parole and released in December 2023, and as a free woman she divorced Anderson and reunited with Urker in 2024.
In the immediate aftermath of Urker’s death, Blanchard publicly expressed the belief he had succumbed to an overdose.
‘I don’t know if it was intentional or not. He was not in a good state of mind lately,’ she said. ‘I’m in disbelief. I can’t think. I’ve screamed until my throat burns.’
Blanchard took to her Instagram Story on Monday to thank friends, family, and followers for their condolences
Urker proposed in 2018 only for them to split months later, after which she married special education teacher Ryan Anderson in prison. Above, Blanchard and Anderson in 2024
Blanchard has further claimed Urker was ‘relentlessly cyberbullied’ before his untimely passing, in a statement provided to TMZ.
She noted that she texted him on the day of his death to wish him a happy birthday but never received a reply.
‘Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved,’ she began, adding that Urker would ‘forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.’
Blanchard said that he went through an ‘unimaginable level of public scrutiny’ while being with her and that the ‘cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure.’
She noted that the online harassment had a ‘profound impact’ on Urker.
Regarding their infant daughter Aurora, Blanchard vowed to ‘make sure she grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her.’
Blanchard said that she would also ensure her daughter knew ‘who [Urker] was beyond what strangers on the internet chose to say about him.’
Urker’s sister Autumn also recently accused Blanchard of lying about her relationship status with Urker before his death.
Regarding their infant daughter Aurora, Blanchard vowed to ‘make sure she grows up knowing how deeply her father loved her
In a statement to TMZ, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office said: ‘We responded to a residence in Raceland today after receiving a call at 6.15pm. Kenan Urker, 34, was found dead upon arrival. At this time, we are continuing the death investigation.’
Family sources told the publication that Urker was discovered at home by Blanchard’s brother, Dylan.
According to People, Dylan and his wife had planned to go out to dinner with Urker before they arrived at his home.
They added that the tragic news had left both Blanchard and Urker’s families in shock.
Urker’s sister, Autumn, reportedly confirmed his death after going live on TikTok. She said her brother’s last words to her had been, ‘I love you.’
Aurora’s birth coincided with the one-year anniversary of Blanchard’s release from prison after she served seven years behind bars for her part in the murder of her abusive mother Dee Dee.
Family sources told the publication that Urker was discovered at home by Blanchard’s brother, Dylan
But their warped relationship came to an end in 2015, when Gypsy-Rose’s boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, crept into their home in Springfield, Missouri, and stabbed Dee Dee to death. She was 48
Blanchard was a victim as a child of Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy, after her mother Dee Dee forced her to pose as an invalid by remaining in a wheelchair at all times in public.
Dee Dee shaved Gypsy-Rose’s head and kept her drugged to convince the world that her daughter had muscular dystrophy and was battling leukemia.
But their warped relationship came to an end in 2015, when Gypsy-Rose’s boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, crept into their home in Springfield, Missouri, and stabbed Dee Dee to death. She was 48.
Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and spent seven years in prison before being released in December 2023 after being granted an early parole.