Blake Garrett, Child Actor in 'How to Eat Fried Worms,' Dead at 33

Blake Garrett -- best known for his role in "How to Eat Fried Worms" -- has died at age 33 ... TMZ has learned.

Blake's mom, Carol Garrett, tells TMZ ... the former child star passed away Sunday. She says the family is still awaiting the autopsy results from the medical examiner to determine an official cause of death.

She tells us Blake went to the emergency room last week in Oklahoma after experiencing intense pain and was later diagnosed with shingles. Carol adds Blake may have self-medicated to cope with the pain from the viral infection, and she believes his death could have been a tragic accident.

She tells us Blake had been living a really good life over the past three years in Tulsa, Oklahoma and had truly turned things around after becoming sober.

Blake was born in Austin, Texas. He had a busy and impressive career as a child actor, landing lead roles early on in local productions like "Aladdin and His Magical Lamp" and "Peanuts: A Charlie Brown Tribute."

At just 10 years old, Blake hit the road with the arena show "Barney’s Colorful World International Tour."

His biggest break came in 2006, when he played Plug in "How to Eat Fried Worms," a role that earned him a Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble Cast.

Blake was 33.