Everything to Know About Charlie Kirk's Wife Erika Frantzve After His Assassination

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot on Wednesday, September 10, while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries.

"It’s with a heavy heart that we, the Turning Point USA leadership team, write to notify you that early this afternoon, Charlie went to his eternal reward with Jesus Christ in Heaven," the organization said in a statement.

As Kirk built a platform as one of the most visible voices in right-wing media through The Charlie Kirk Show podcast and his activism, Frantzve stood by his side, deeply connected through both marriage and faith.

"Life, weirdly enough, is a countdown … you don't get forever," Frantzve reflected in August via Instagram, alongside photos with her late husband and their children. "My favorite photos lately have been seeing the beginnings of a kiss with my husband. The before. The in-between. The after. This … everything in these photos are the fleeting fullness we prayed for."

Here's everything to know about Frantzve:

Frantzve, who grew up in Scottsdale, won Miss Arizona USA while attending Arizona State University. Competing as Miss Phoenix, she went on to represent the state in the Miss USA pageant.

According to her website, winning the crown "highlighted her poise, dedication, and inner strength."

The two first connected in September 2018. “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 recalled on Instagram in 2023.

They got engaged in December 2020 before tying the knot in May 2021 in Scottsdale.

"A year ago, we stood at that altar making the most precious covenant with God as we became one flesh," she wrote in a 2022 anniversary post. "Charles James you are my today and all of my tomorrow's. How blessed I am to have you as my husband and how honored I am to be your wife."

Frantzve played basketball at Regis University before transferring to Arizona State, where she earned a degree in political science and international relations. She later completed both a Juris Master and Doctor of Education at Liberty University.

"This one's for you … for the loved ones and dear friends in my life that supported me throughout the past two years as I kept my head buried in law school books," she wrote in 2019 after finishing her master's degree, revealing she had even turned down reality TV opportunities, including Summer House, to focus on her education.

The couple welcomed a daughter in August 2022, keeping her name and face private. They expanded their family with a son in May 2024.

"Happy Mother's Day Erika. There is no greater mother, wife, or friend than you. God's greatest blessing to us!" Kirk gushed in a May Instagram tribute.

Just a few weeks before Kirk died, he and Frantzve celebrated their daughter's 3rd birthday. And while Kirk was a public figure, he made the choice to keep his children's faces and names off social media.

"We have a girl and a boy and it's no ones business what their names are or their faces," he explained in a June 2025 video.

In 2018, Frantzve launched Proclaim Streetwear, a religiously inspired brand she described as "purpose-driven for the Kingdom." She also hosts the Midweek Rise Up podcast, leads the Biblein365 ministry program, and works as a motivational speaker.