Former child actor Blake Garrett's cause of death confirmed
What's the story
Blake Garrett, the former child actor who starred in How To Eat Fried Worms, died from an accidental fentanyl overdose. The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's report confirmed this, reported TMZ. The 33-year-old actor passed away on February 8 while living in a sober living home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Health issues
Garrett was diagnosed with shingles a week before his death
A week before his death, Garrett was hospitalized and diagnosed with shingles, as per his mother Carol.
She feared that her son might have self-medicated due to pain from the viral infection after three years of sobriety.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines shingles as a "painful rash" caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox.
Career highlights
Garrett's career
Garrett is best remembered for his role as Plug in the 2006 children's comedy How To Eat Fried Worms.
The movie, directed by Bob Dolman, was based on Thomas Rockwell's 1973 book.
The cast won Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film at the 2007 Young Artists Awards.
Apart from this, Garrett also starred in several local theater productions such as Grease, The Wizard of Oz, Aladdin and his Magical Lamp, Annie, and Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute.
Other roles
He starred in the arena show production of 'Barney'
In addition to his film and theater work, Garrett was also a part of the arena show production Barney's Colorful World International Tour from 2003 to 2004.
He played Mike in the show and reprised his role in the subsequent video.
The production was a significant part of his early acting career.