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Former child actor Blake Garrett’s official cause of death has been revealed.
According to documents from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Tulsa, Oklahoma exclusively obtained by Us Weekly on Monday, July 13, Garrett’s probable cause of death is listed as acute fentanyl toxicity. His death was ruled an accident.
The summary report also stated that Garrett was residing in a sober living house in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the time of his death.
Garrett’s mother, Carol, confirmed to TMZ in February that the How to Eat Fried Worms actor had died. He was 33. Carol told the outlet that Garrett visited an emergency room in Tulsa one week before his untimely death. Garrett experienced “intense pain” before he was later diagnosed with shingles, per the outlet.
According to Carol, Garrett moved to Tulsa to focus on his sobriety, adding that she believed her son had “truly turned things around.”
Garrett started acting professionally as a child, appearing in local productions of Aladdin and His Magical Lamp and Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute. He later joined the touring cast for Barney’s Colorful World International Tour. Garrett later made his on-screen debut at age 11 in 2004’s Barney’s Colorful World, Live!, a straight to VHS production.
Two years later, Garrett appeared in his first and only feature film, How to Eat Fried Worms, as Plug, a friend of classroom bully Joe, portrayed by Adam Hicks. The children’s movie also starred Luke Benward, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Tom Cavanagh.
“I play the bully’s henchman,” Garrett said of his on-set experience during an August 2006 interview with The Oklahoman. “But everybody got along on the set.”
Garrett also recalled a fun on set moment where he and the cast got to ride bicycles for a scene.
“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. They had a camera on the ground, and in one scene I slid and gravel hit the camera,” he said. “They really liked that shot, and that’s the one they used in the movie.”
Garrett’s performance in How to Eat Fried Worms earned him a 2007 Young Artist Award. The entire cast also won Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film that same year.
After working on the film, Garrett returned to Edmond, Oklahoma, to complete his schooling at Summit Middle School. Garrett opted to live the rest of his life out of the spotlight.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
