Charlie Kirk was a husband and the father of two young kids at the time of his death Wednesday at a campus university event in Utah.
Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University, the first stop this fall for his organization’s “The American Comeback Tour,” which was traveling to multiple college campuses across the country.
President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on social media, writing, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.”
“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us,” the president wrote. “Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”
“We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers,” the Turning Point USA organization said.
Charlie Kirk and and his wife Erika Lane Frantzve during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball, January 19, 2025 in Washington.
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Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, shared a Bible verse on social media earlier in the day Wednesday, writing, “Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Erika Kirk has not commented publicly on the shooting or her husband’s death.
Together, the couple are parents of two children, a son who turned 1 in May, and a daughter who turned 3 in August.
Both Charlie Kirk and Erika Kirk shared glimpses of their home life on social media, sharing photos of their children, though not sharing their names or faces.
Here is more to know about Erika Frantzve Kirk
Donald Trump Jr., Charlie Kirk, and Erika Frantzve watch on stage as The Village People perform YMCA during the Turning Point USA Inaugural-Eve Ball at the Salamander Hotel, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Erika Kirk is a former Miss Arizona USA and collegiate basketball player who is currently studying for a doctorate in Biblical studies at Liberty University, according to her biography on her website.
She is the founder of Proclaim, a faith-based clothing line, the host of the “Midweek Rise Up” podcast and the founder of two nonprofit organizations, according to her website.
Erika Kirk has also been a frequent presence by her husband’s side at speaking engagements and public appearances.
The couple went on their first date in New York City seven years ago this month, according to a post Erika Kirk shared on Instagram.
“5 years ago today, we sat inside Bills Burgers in NYC deep in conversation and banter over theology, philosophy, and politics and at the end, you paused, looked at me and said, ‘I’m going to date you,'” she wrote in a Sept. 5, 2023, post.
Charlie Kirk proposed to Erika Kirk just two years later, in December 2020, and they wed in Arizona on May 8, 2021, according to social media posts she shared at the time.
The couple sat down together for an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show” in April to talk about marriage and family life.
“Keep your faith, obviously first, and try to identify any fleshy problems that you might be having,” Charlie Kirk said of his advice to young married couples, according to a YouTube video of the podcast.
Erika Kirk added, in part, “You have to continually invest in the confidence in one another, that you’re on the same team. You support each other. You love each other. You’re not going to undercut each other. You’re not going to undercut each other.”