Blake Garrett cause of death ruled accidental overdose

Blake Garrett, the former child actor who played Plug in the 2006 film How to Eat Fried Worms, died from acute fentanyl toxicity on February 8, 2026, at age 33. The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the death an accident, according to a summary report obtained by TMZ.

TMZ published the medical examiner findings on July 13, 2026, roughly five months after Garrett's family first announced his death while awaiting autopsy results. Deadline confirmed the same ruling, bringing closure to fans who remembered him from the Walden Media comedy.

Key Takeaways

• Blake Garrett died at age 33 from acute fentanyl toxicity, ruled an accident by Oklahoma's chief medical examiner.
• He passed away on February 8, 2026, at a sober living house in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Garrett had reportedly maintained three years of sobriety before his death.
• His mother, Carol Garrett, said he was diagnosed with shingles a week before he died.
• Garrett won a Young Artist Award for his ensemble role in How to Eat Fried Worms.

What Was Blake Garrett's Official Cause of Death?

According to the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's summary report, Garrett's cause of death is listed as acute fentanyl toxicity. The manner of death was ruled an accident, TMZ reported.

Deadline cited the same medical examiner documents, noting that the findings were released roughly five months after Garrett died in Oklahoma. The report does not specify additional contributing substances beyond fentanyl, based on what the outlets published.

Garrett's mother, Carol Garrett, told TMZ in February that she feared her son may have accidentally overdosed while trying to manage severe pain. The medical examiner's conclusion aligns with what she suspected from the start.

Why Did Garrett's Mother Believe His Death Was Accidental?

Carol Garrett told TMZ that Blake visited an emergency room in Tulsa about one week before his death after experiencing intense pain. He was later diagnosed with shingles, a painful viral rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus.

She said Garrett had been sober for three years and worried he may have self-medicated to cope with shingles pain. At the time of his death announcement, the family was awaiting autopsy results from Oklahoma's medical examiner to confirm what happened.

The NZ Herald reported that Garrett had struggled with drug problems in the past, adding context to why his mother raised the possibility of accidental self-medication rather than intentional harm.

Who Was Blake Garrett Beyond How to Eat Fried Worms?

Garrett's biggest break came in 2006 when he played Plug in Bob Dolman's film adaptation of Thomas Rockwell's 1973 children's book. The comedy also starred James Rebhorn, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Tom Cavanagh, Luke Benward, and Adam Hicks.

The following year, Garrett shared a Young Artist Award with the cast for Best Young Ensemble in a Feature Film. Though How to Eat Fried Worms remained his most visible credit, the performance kept his name familiar to a generation of family-movie fans.

At the time of his death, Garrett was living in a sober living house in Tulsa, according to the medical examiner's report cited by TMZ and Deadline. His passing adds to ongoing conversations about fentanyl's deadly reach, even among people actively working to stay in recovery.

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