Ken Urker, Gypsy Rose Blanchard's partner, dies at 34: reports

Ken Urker, the partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, has died, Blanchard confirmed to People magazine. 

Urker was found dead Thursday at his home in Raceland, Louisiana, on his 34th birthday, People reports. 

Ken Urker cause of death 

What we know: Blanchard told People that Urker died of a drug overdose. 

What we don't know:

Blanchard said she doesn’t know if "it was intentional or not."

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What they're saying:

"He was not in a good state of mind lately," she told People. 

"I’m in disbelief. I can’t think. I’ve screamed until my throat burns."

"Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved. He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase," she told People. 

She said he had been harassed online because of their relationship. 

"The cruelty directed toward him was something no human being should have to endure," she told People. "I believe the tremendous weight of that scrutiny and harassment had a profound impact on him, and I hope his passing serves as a reminder that there is a real person behind every screen, every headline, and every comment."

**If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Line for free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide and CLICK HERE for more on the 988 Lifeline.**

Who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard? 

The backstory:

Blanchard spent seven years in prison after she persuaded her boyfriend at the time to kill her abusive mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, in 2015 — in a desperate bid to be free of her.

For years, her mother forced her to pretend that she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses.

Dee Dee Blanchard had essentially kept her daughter prisoner and duped doctors into doing unnecessary procedures by telling them that her daughter’s medical records had been lost in Hurricane Katrina. Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s attorney said the mother had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents or caregivers seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.

The mother-daughter duo received charitable donations, and even a home near Springfield from Habitat for Humanity.

Her story has captivated true-crime fans for years. 

Nicholas Godejohn, Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s ex-boyfriend, is serving a life sentence for her mother’s murder. 

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