Blake Garrett, a former child actor known for his role in the 2006 film How to Eat Fried Worms, has died at the age of 33, his mother, Carol Garrett, confirmed to TMZ.com. Garrett passed away at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after experiencing extreme pain.
According to reports, Garrett had recently been diagnosed with shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus. His mother expressed concern that the intensity of the pain may have led him to self-soothe, though the exact cause of death remains undetermined pending a full autopsy report.
Garrett’s mother stated he had been maintaining three years of sobriety prior to his death. He had been experiencing intense pain and sought medical attention, resulting in the shingles diagnosis. Shingles can cause severe nerve pain, and while typically not fatal, complications can arise.
How to Eat Fried Worms, based on the 1973 children’s novel by Thomas Rockwell, featured Garrett as “Pug” alongside a cast of young actors. The film centers on a bet involving the consumption of worms, a plot that has garnered attention over the years, even appearing on lists of frequently challenged books, according to the American Library Association.
Prior to his role in the film, Garrett had been involved in theatrical productions. The novel by Rockwell, first published in 1973, follows a boy who agrees to eat worms as part of a wager. The story was previously adapted as a CBS Storybreak episode in the 1980s.
Authorities have completed an autopsy, but the official cause of death is still pending the release of the full report.
