Blake Garrett, recognized for his role as Plug, the sidekick of the bully in the 2006 family film “How to Eat Fried Worms,” has passed away at the age of 33, his mother confirmed to TMZ on Monday.
Garrett’s death occurred on Sunday, February 8, at his residence in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Carol Garrett, his mother, informed TMZ that the family is awaiting the autopsy report to ascertain the official cause of death.
Garrett, the former young actor, was rushed to an Oklahoma emergency room last week due to severe pain and was diagnosed with shingles, a painful viral ailment triggered by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus. His mother told TMZ she worries her son might have self-medicated to alleviate the pain, suggesting that his death could have been an unfortunate accident.
Despite the tragic events, Garrett had been leading a fulfilling life in recent years, according to his mother. “Blake had been living a really good life over the past three years in Tulsa,” Carol Garrett said to TMZ, indicating that his life had taken a positive turn after he became sober.
Garrett was born on September 14, 1992, in Austin, Texas, and found his passion for acting at the age of 8, participating in many local performances. He starred in key roles early in his career, such as the magician in “Aladdin and His Magical Lamp” and Charlie Brown in “Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute.” His theater credits also include roles in “The Wizard of Oz,” “Annie,” and “Grease.”
At the tender age of 10, Garrett toured globally with the arena show “Barney’s Colorful World International Tour” from 2003 to 2004, playing the role of Mike. He spent 18 months on tour with the production and also appeared in the subsequent video release.
His major break arrived in 2006 when he was cast as Plug in “How to Eat Fried Worms,” a children’s comedy directed and written by Bob Dolman, based on Thomas Rockwell’s 1973 children’s book. The film featured Luke Benward as Billy Forrester, a new school kid who takes on a dare to eat 10 worms in a day. Garrett portrayed one of the bully’s cronies alongside a cast that included Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Tom Cavanagh, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and James Rebhorn.
In an interview with The Oklahoman in 2006, the then 13-year-old Garrett spoke positively about his experience on the film.
“I play the bully’s henchman,” Garrett said at the time. “But everybody got along on the set.”
He also mentioned his excitement about being one of the few actors who already knew how to cycle before filming started, which allowed him to choose the best equipment on set.
“There were rows of bicycles, and they let me have first pick,” he said.
Garrett remembered a particularly memorable scene that made it into the film’s final cut. The scene involved riding bikes on a gravel road and skidding to a halt while cameras shot from ground level. During one take, gravel from Garrett’s bike slide hit the camera lens, a shot the directors loved and used in the film.
The cast of “How to Eat Fried Worms,” including Garrett, won the Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film in 2007. The ensemble comprised Benward, Eisenberg, Alexander Gould, Adam Hicks, Ryan Malgarini, and several other young actors.
After his success in “How to Eat Fried Worms,” Garrett featured in the pilot episode of the NBC television series “Inconceivable,” a medical drama about a fertility clinic that premiered in September 2005 but was canceled after just two episodes. He also played a role in “Little Flower.” However, he appears not to have continued his acting career into adulthood.
During the “Barney’s Colorful World International Tour,” Garrett experienced a unique facet of fame. His nearly white-blonde hair fascinated children in countries where the tour visited, as many had never seen such hair color before and wanted to touch it.
Shingles, the viral infection that Garrett was diagnosed with prior to his death, affects roughly one in three people at some point in their lives, states the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition causes a painful rash when the dormant chickenpox virus reactivates, often years after the initial infection. While the pain can be severe, fewer than 100 shingles-related deaths occur annually in the United States, with the majority of fatalities being older adults or those with compromised immune systems.
According to his mother, Garrett had been leading a good life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the three years leading up to his death, having become sober and turned his life around. He leaves behind his mother, a younger brother, and the family’s pets.