Some childhood movies stay with us because of the memories surrounding them: a weekend afternoon, a bowl of popcorn, and children laughing at something the adults could barely watch.
For many families, How to Eat Fried Worms was one of those films. Its outrageous premise and lively young cast turned an unpleasant dare into a story about courage, belonging, and unexpected friendship.
Among those young performers was Blake Garrett, who played Plug in the 2006 comedy. Garrett died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 8, 2026, at the age of 33. His passing brought renewed attention to a childhood career that included theater, touring productions, and a place in a film many viewers still remember with affection.
A familiar face from a childhood favorite
In How to Eat Fried Worms, Garrett appeared as Plug, a member of the school bully’s group. The story follows a new student whose willingness to accept a stomach-turning challenge changes his relationships with the children around him.
Much of the film’s appeal came from its young ensemble. Their characters could be mischievous, intimidating, awkward, and vulnerable—sometimes within the same scene. Beneath the messy jokes was a recognizable childhood experience: trying to find your place while deciding when to stand up for yourself.
Garrett helped bring that world to life alongside Luke Benward, Hallie Eisenberg, Adam Hicks, and the rest of the cast. The performers shared the award for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film at the 2007 Young Artist Awards, recognition of the group effort behind the comedy.
For viewers who encountered the movie as children, seeing his face again may bring back memories of sleepovers, school holidays, or watching a favorite DVD with siblings. Parents and grandparents may remember the same film from the other end of the couch, sharing in the laughter while occasionally looking away from its less appetizing moments.
That is part of what gives a family movie its lasting place. Over time, it becomes connected to the people who watched it together.
His performing years began onstage
Before appearing in the film, Garrett had already begun developing his talents through live performance.
Born in Austin, Texas, he started acting as a child in local theater. His early credits included Aladdin and His Magical Lamp and Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute. At around 10 years old, he joined the international tour of Barney’s Colorful World, performing for family audiences beyond his hometown.
Those experiences represented a substantial commitment for a young performer. Theater requires preparation, concentration, and the ability to keep going in front of a live audience. Touring adds unfamiliar venues and the demands of travel.
For Garrett, that work formed the foundation of a brief but memorable entertainment career. Though How to Eat Fried Worms became his best-known screen appearance, it was one part of a childhood spent performing.
What has been reported about his death
Garrett’s mother, Carol, initially confirmed his death to TMZ. At the time, she said he had recently sought emergency care for severe pain and had been diagnosed with shingles. His family was awaiting the medical examiner’s findings when the first reports appeared.
Later reporting provided an update. In July 2026, Us Weekly, citing records from Oklahoma’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, reported that his probable cause of death was acute fentanyl toxicity. His death was classified as accidental.
That distinction matters when remembering the circumstances of his passing. The earlier shingles diagnosis was part of the family’s account of his final days, but it should not be presented as his established cause of death.
Beyond the confirmed findings, speculation adds little to an already painful loss. His family knew him through years of private experiences and relationships that no film credit or news report could fully capture.
The person beyond the childhood role
When a former child performer dies, the photograph accompanying the news often shows the person as audiences first knew them.
It can be difficult to reconcile that familiar young face with the adult life that followed. Movies preserve a particular moment. The people who appear in them continue growing, changing, and building lives beyond the frame.
Garrett’s role as Plug remained available for audiences to revisit, even as he moved into adulthood. For those who knew him personally, however, his life held much more than a character in a family comedy.
Remembering that difference allows room for a more compassionate tribute. A public performance may explain why strangers recognize someone, but it cannot tell the whole story of who that person was.
Nor should the circumstances of a death become the sole measure of a life. Garrett was a son, a family member, and someone whose childhood work reached audiences he would never meet.
Why these performances stay with us
A family comedy does not need to be grand or serious to become meaningful.
Sometimes its value is in the ordinary experience it creates: people sitting together, laughing at the same joke, or repeating a line long after the movie ends. Children grow older, routines change, and those afternoons become memories.
How to Eat Fried Worms belongs to that category for many viewers. Its unusual challenge may be the first thing they recall, but its friendships give the story something warmer to return to.
Garrett contributed to that shared experience. His performance became a small part of other people’s childhoods, often without them knowing his name.
Years later, news of his passing gives those viewers a reason to pause and recognize the person behind the role.
There is sadness in that recognition, especially when someone dies at only 33. There is also appreciation for the work that remains and for the moments of enjoyment it helped create.
A quiet way to remember him
For fans, revisiting Garrett’s work offers a simple way to honor his memory. Watching How to Eat Fried Worms again may bring back familiar scenes, forgotten jokes, or memories of the people who first watched it beside them.
For some, it may also be an opportunity to introduce the film to a younger generation and share a piece of their own childhood.
No tribute can account for everything a person meant to those closest to them. Public remembrance is necessarily smaller: a performance recalled, a name recognized, a moment of gratitude.
Blake Garrett’s time in entertainment left him connected to a film that continues to carry childhood memories for its audience. As he is remembered, those moments of laughter remain part of the work he leaves behind.
May his family and loved ones find comfort in the memories they shared with him.
For more heartfelt stories about remembrance, family, and service, read a veteran’s buddy whose daughter says she saw him and the uncle who recognized a familiar call sign. There’s also a soldier’s difficult night at a family gala.
