Blake Garrett, recognized for his role as Plug, the sidekick to the bully in the 2006 family film “How to Eat Fried Worms,” has passed away at the age of 33, as confirmed by his mother to TMZ on Monday, February 9, 2026.
Garrett died on Sunday, February 8, at his residence in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His mother, Carol Garrett, informed the media that the family is waiting for autopsy results to establish the official cause of his death.
The former child actor had visited an emergency room in Oklahoma the previous week due to severe pain and was diagnosed with shingles, a painful viral infection that arises from the reactivation of the chickenpox virus. Mrs. Garrett expressed to TMZ that her son may have taken medication on his own to manage the pain, suggesting that his death could have been an unfortunate accident.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death, Mrs. Garrett stated her son had been leading a fulfilling life in recent years. “Blake had been living a really good life over the past three years in Tulsa,” she shared with TMZ, highlighting his successful journey towards sobriety.
Garrett, born on September 14, 1992, in Austin, Texas, discovered his passion for acting at a young age. At eight years old, he participated in numerous local productions and quickly earned lead roles. His early performances include roles as the magician in “Aladdin and His Magical Lamp” and Charlie Brown in “Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute,” with theater credits in “The Wizard of Oz,” “Annie,” and “Grease.”
At the age of 10, Garrett joined the “Barney’s Colorful World International Tour” from 2003 to 2004, portraying the character Mike. He spent 18 months touring internationally with the show.
Garrett’s most significant opportunity arrived in 2006 when he was selected to play Plug in “How to Eat Fried Worms,” a children’s comedy directed by Bob Dolman and based on Thomas Rockwell’s 1973 children’s book. The film starred Luke Benward as Billy Forrester, a new kid in school who accepts a dare to eat 10 worms in a single day. Garrett starred alongside a cast that included Hallie Kate Eisenberg, sister of Oscar-winning actor Jesse Eisenberg, as well as Tom Cavanagh, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, and James Rebhorn.
In a 2006 interview with The Oklahoman at age 13, Garrett spoke positively about his experience on the film set. “I play the bully’s henchman,” Garrett said at the time. “But everybody got along on the set.”
He further shared his excitement about being one of the few actors who already knew how to ride a bike before filming started, allowing him to choose the best equipment on set. “There were rows of bicycles, and they let me have first pick,” he recalled.
Garrett described a memorable scene from the film where he had to ride a bike on a gravel road and slide to a stop for a ground-level camera shot. During one take, gravel from his bike hit the camera lens, a shot the directors loved so much they included it in the final cut.
For their work on “How to Eat Fried Worms,” Garrett and his co-stars received the Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film in 2007. The ensemble included Benward, Eisenberg, Alexander Gould, Adam Hicks, Ryan Malgarini, and several other young actors.
Garrett also appeared in the pilot episode of NBC’s medical drama “Inconceivable” in September 2005, and in “Little Flower.”
During his time on the “Barney’s Colorful World International Tour,” Garrett experienced a unique aspect of fame. Children in various countries were intrigued by his almost white-blonde hair, a rare sight in many places he visited. Some children had never seen this hair color and were eager to touch it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the shingles infection Garrett was diagnosed with before his death affects about one in three people during their lifetime. The condition, which arises when the dormant chickenpox virus reactivates, causes a painful rash. While the infection can be extremely painful, it results in fewer than 100 deaths annually in the U.S., predominantly among older adults or those with compromised immune systems.
Before his untimely death, Garrett had been leading a productive life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as described by his mother. After achieving sobriety, he had managed to get his life back on track. He is survived by his mother, younger brother, and several family pets.