Blake Garrett, the former child actor best known for his role in the 2006 family film How to eat fried wormshas died at the age of 33.
His death was confirmed by his mother, Carol Garrett, who said TMZ that her son died on Sunday.
She said Blake had gone to the emergency room last week after suffering from intense pain and was diagnosed with shingles.
She said she believes he may have tried to self-medicate and that his death could have been an accident.
Carol also noted that Blake, who was born in Texas, had been living in Oklahoma for the past three years, where he had been sober and, in her words, living a good life.
Garrett is remembered by many for playing Plug in How to eat fried wormsa film adaptation of the popular 1973 children’s book directed by Bob Dolman.
The film followed a young boy who accepts a challenge to eat 15 worms in 15 days.
The cast included Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Clint Howard, Andrea Martin, Tom Cavanagh, James Rebhorn and several young actors, including Hallie Eisenberg.
In 2007, the ensemble received the Young Artist Award for best young ensemble in a feature film.
Before appearing in the film, Garrett toured with Barney, the famous purple dinosaur, and was featured in Barney’s colorful world, live! in 2004.
He also participated in local stage productions such as Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute and Aladdin and his magic lamp.
Speaking to The Oklahoman newspaper in 2006, Garrett fondly described his role and his time on set.
“I play the thug’s minions,” he said at the time. “But everyone came together on set.”
Reflecting on the experience, he shared one of his favorite memories: “There were rows of bikes and they let me pick the first one. There was a scene where we were riding on a dirt road and skidded to a stop.
The guys who could ride worked that scene. They had a camera on the ground and in one scene I slipped and gravel hit the camera. They really liked that image and that’s what they used in the movie.”
How to eat fried worms was Garrett’s last film before stepping away from acting, but his work left a lasting impression on fans of the family film.
