Former child actor Blake Garrett, remembered for his role as Plug in the 2006 family comedy “How to Eat Fried Worms,” died February 8 in Oklahoma from acute fentanyl toxicity, according to Oklahoma medical examiner records that officially ruled his death an accident. He was 33.
The records state that Garrett was residing in a Tulsa facility for individuals in recovery when he passed away. Medical examiner documents from Oklahoma listed acute fentanyl toxicity as the cause, with the manner of death classified as accidental.
His mother, Carol, first confirmed her son’s death in February, describing a painful final stretch of his life. She said Garrett had sought hospital treatment in Tulsa a week earlier for “intense pain,” and doctors diagnosed him with shingles.
A Painful Final Week
Carol said her son had relocated to Tulsa to concentrate on maintaining his sobriety and believed he had “truly turned things around.” After three years of sobriety, she feared he may have self-medicated to cope with the pain from the viral infection, and she believed his death was a tragic accident.
Carol’s account describes a man who had successfully rebuilt his life but faced a devastating setback in his final days. The shingles diagnosis and its accompanying severe pain created the circumstances that preceded his death.
From Austin Stages to Screen
Born September 14, 1992, in Austin, Texas, Garrett began performing at age eight in local Austin productions. He landed lead roles early, playing the magician in “Aladdin and His Magical Lamp” and Charlie Brown in “Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute.” His theater résumé also included turns in “The Wizard of Oz,” “Annie” and “Grease.”
When he was 10, Garrett hit the road with the arena production “Barney’s Colorful World International Tour,” which ran from 2003 to 2004. He played Mike, a role he reprised in the 2004 direct-to-video release “Barney’s Colorful World, Live!” This early professional work helped transition his career from theater to film.
Garrett appeared in the 2006 children’s comedy “How to Eat Fried Worms,” his only feature film. He portrayed Plug, a friend of the classroom bully played by Adam Hicks. The film would become the credit most associated with his name in the years that followed.
A Young Artist Award and a Familiar Story
The film was written and directed by Bob Dolman and adapted from Thomas Rockwell’s 1973 children’s book. Its cast included James Rebhorn, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Tom Cavanagh. The following year, Garrett shared in a Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film, a recognition that came near the peak of his on-screen visibility.
The story of a boy dared to eat ten worms in as many days had already been a fixture of elementary school reading lists for decades before Dolman brought it to the screen. For a generation of young viewers, Garrett’s face became part of that adaptation, and the film has continued to circulate long after its theatrical run.
The summary report confirming the cause of death arrives months after Garrett died, closing an open question that had lingered since February. The findings match what his mother described in the immediate aftermath, when she connected his final days to the pain that had sent him to the hospital.
Garrett’s death adds to the growing toll of fatal overdoses tied to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has driven a national crisis and repeatedly claimed people in recovery. His case underscores how quickly a period of stability can unravel, and how a medical setback can collide with a history of substance use.
For those who followed his early career, from the Austin stages where he first performed to the touring arena shows and the single film that defined his public profile, the medical examiner’s ruling brings a measure of clarity to a loss that had already been felt.