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Gypsy-Rose Blanchard has rejected the suggestion that Ken Urker died by suicide, saying she is certain about that despite the fact that authorities have yet to establish his official cause of death.
Blanchard addressed the matter in an update to a Change.org petition she launched following Urker's death on October 1. The campaign calls for social media companies to change how they respond to repeated online harassment, which she believes took a serious toll on Urker.
Although toxicology results are still pending, Blanchard wrote, "We do know with 100% certainty that it was not suicide."
She has made clear that her petition is not intended to determine how Urker died. Instead, she wants greater attention paid to the online abuse she says preceded his death.
According to Blanchard, Urker was affected by hostile comments and videos about him on social media. She said the harassment damaged his mental health and contributed to his use of drugs and alcohol as unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Her proposed campaign, called Kenan's Law after Urker's legal name, would encourage platforms to identify repeated patterns of abuse rather than assess each complaint separately. She is also seeking human review of serious cases, the preservation of evidence and greater transparency from social media companies when handling reports.
Urker died in Raceland, Louisiana, on his 34th birthday. According to Us Weekly, authorities were contacted at approximately 6:15 p.m. on October 1. Blanchard's sister-in-law, Anita Blanchard, reportedly requested a wellness check after Urker missed work and concerns were raised about his mental state. His official cause of death has not been announced.
Blanchard and Urker first became acquainted while she was in prison in connection with her mother Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard's death. He contacted her after watching the 2017 documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest and later visited her during her incarceration.
The pair became engaged in 2018 but separated the following year. They reunited in 2024, after Blanchard's marriage to Ryan Anderson ended, and welcomed their daughter, Aurora, on December 28, 2024.
Since Urker's death, Blanchard has also spoken about the importance of preserving his memory for their daughter. Her petition now seeks to make online platforms more responsive to persistent harassment, which she says can have consequences beyond the digital world.
