Ryan Anderson said he was shocked after learning that Ken Urker died at his Louisiana home on Thursday, his 34th birthday, and that his first thought went straight to Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Aurora. Speaking Friday, Anderson said he did not believe the news at first and immediately wondered how it happened.
The death is drawing attention because it came with little public explanation. A police report obtained by Page Six said Urker was found with drug paraphernalia and a gun at the time of his death, and authorities suspected an overdose. That detail has left the family with grief and unanswered questions at the same time.
Anderson said he reached out to Rod Blanchard after hearing what had happened and asked him to tell Gypsy that he was sorry and available if she needed him. He said he and Urker never really saw eye to eye, but added that it was still hard to hear somebody had died. He also said he and Urker never met in person, even though they had exchanged phone calls and text messages.
That reaction carries added weight because Anderson and Gypsy were once married, in June 2022, while she was serving time for her role in the 2015 murder of her mom, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. They announced their split in March 2024 after her release in December 2023, and she later confirmed her relationship with Urker, whom she had first met while incarcerated in 2017 and later became engaged to in October 2018 before they split and then rekindled things in early 2024. Gypsy and Urker welcomed Aurora in December 2024.
Anderson said he had not spoken to Gypsy in about a year, but still wanted her to know he was there. He said his main concern is Aurora and Gypsy, and that if Gypsy reaches out, he would help simply by being present. The unanswered part now is whether she responds — and what, if anything, explains why Urker died at 34.
