Shock Death: How to Eat Fried Worms Actor Blake Garrett Dies at 33
A star of the classic children’s movie How to Eat Fried Worms has died suddenly at the age of 33, his heartbroken mother has revealed.
Former child actor Blake Garrett, who appeared in the family film and is best known for playing Plug in the 2006 favorite, passed away over the weekend, his devastated mother confirmed to TMZ.
Carol Garrett told the outlet she does not yet know her son’s cause of death, as the family is still waiting for autopsy results from the medical examiner.
However, the grieving mother said her son—who had been living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the past three years—had gone to the emergency room just last week after experiencing “intense pain.”
According to TMZ, he was later diagnosed with shingles, with Carol saying he “may have self-medicated to cope with the pain” caused by the viral infection. She believes his death may have been a tragic accident.
Carol added that Blake had been doing well since relocating to Tulsa, where he had “truly turned things around” after becoming sober.
Originally from Texas, Blake made his on-screen debut in 2004 when he was just 10 years old. He was cast in the Barney & Friends special Barney’s Colorful World, Live!—a live production that had him touring around the world for 18 months.
He also landed lead roles in local stage productions such as Aladdin and His Magical Lamp and Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute.
But it was his role as Plug in How to Eat Fried Worms that audiences remember most.
Based on Thomas Rockwell’s 1974 children’s book, the story follows a new student named Billy (played by Luke Benward), who makes a bet with school bullies that he can eat 10 to 15 worms in 10 to 15 days to win $50 toward a mini-bike.
The 11-year-old pushes through a series of obstacles, even as top bully Joe (Adam Hicks) and his crew try to make the challenge nearly impossible.
“I play the bully’s henchman,” Blake told The Oklahoman newspaper back in 2006, adding that the atmosphere off-camera was positive. “Everybody got along on the set.”
He especially remembered getting first choice of the bicycles used during filming because he was one of the few kids who already knew how to ride.
“There was one scene where we were riding on a gravel road and got to slide to a stop. The guys who could ride worked on that scene,” he recalled. “They had a camera on the ground, and in one scene I slid and gravel hit the camera. They really liked that shot, and that’s the one they used in the movie.”
The film later earned Blake and his fellow cast members the award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film at the Young Artist Awards in 2007.