Garrett was arrested Feb. 1 for allegedly carrying heroin into a Los Angeles subway station and was released on $10,000 bail after being charged with possession of black tar heroin.
Officers approached Garrett on the platform after noticing him shaking and sweating, according to The Associated Press. Although he initially denied having any drugs, he allegedly admitted having black tar heroin in his shoe.
The incident, two weeks before Valentine's Day, is the latest in the fallen teen idol's three-decade love affair with drugs.
The famed Tiger Beat cover boy has been romantically linked to "Desperate Housewives" star Nicolette Sheridan and "Family Ties" actress Justine Bateman, among others, but his career has gone the way of other disgraced child stars.
In 1979, while Garrett was riding high on the charts, he was also riding high on drugs and booze. Three days before his 18th birthday, he crashed his car while drunk and under the influence of quaaludes, leaving his passenger and best friend Roland Winkler a paraplegic.
Ironically, one of the recordings on "Same Goes for You," the album he was promoting, was a remake of "Kicks," an anti-drug song originally recorded in the mid-'60s by Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Although Garrett made promises to look after Winkler, Winkler's mother filed a $25 million negligence suit against the teen singer. The Winklers eventually settled out of court for $7.1 million after Garrett claimed he didn't have the money. But the court case caused the two friends to be estranged for 20 years, until Winkler agreed to be filmed with Garrett for a notoriously awkward reunion on VH-1's "Behind the Music."
The episode was one of the most popular in the series, but while Garrett claimed on it that he had been drug-free since 1996, he was arrested for possession of cocaine and heroin a few months after the episode premiered.
His newly recaptured notoriety did help his career in some ways. In 1999, he collaborated with Seattle grunge pioneers the Melvins on a cover version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." After the arrest, Garrett tried to revive his music career by creating a band called Godspeed.
However, the name choice did present some problems for the singer, who was claiming he was now truly drug-free.
At the time, Garrett told Wireless Flash News Service that while some folks might see the name Godspeed as a methamphetamine reference, that was not accurate.
However, the name choice did present some problems for the singer, who was claiming he was now truly drug-free.
At the time, Garrett told Wireless Flash News Service that while some folks might see the name Godspeed as a methamphetamine reference, that was not accurate.
"I never liked speed," he said. "Heroin was my thing."
Godspeed didn't exactly light the charts on fire, so Garrett tried another band called F8 ("Fate") and recorded a song called "Former Child Star," which was featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 David Spade comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," along with a "We Are the World" spoof featuring Garrett, Maureen McCormick ("The Brady Bunch") and Jay North ("Dennis the Menace") as soloists.
Garrett also appeared in the film with other beleaguered former idols, like Danny Bonaduce and Corey Feldman. But none of these projects were hits.
By March 2005, he'd been arrested again on drug charges, eventually pleading guilty to possession of cocaine. He was put on probation, but after he violated it, a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest in December of that same year.
A few weeks later, in January 2006, Garrett was arrested on a subway platform in downtown Los Angeles for allegedly not having a ticket. He was subsequently found with heroin and quaaludes in his possession.
Garrett was held in jail without bail before being sentenced to a live-in drug rehabilitation program. He left the program, believing it to be too strict, and was consequently sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years' probation. He was credited with the time served since March 30, when he was placed in custody for failing a drug test.
That same year, some good news did happen: He went on "Celebrity Fear Factor" and won the grand prize of $50,000, despite tough competition from former Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy and former child stars Tempestt Bledsoe and Todd Bridges.
In addition, he tried to cash in on his nostalgic notoriety by appearing in Las Vegas with other former idols like "Brady Bunch" hunk Barry Williams, the Bay City Rollers, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, and the Cowsills.
Then, in August 2007, Garrett tried to trade the monkey on his back for a bull by appearing on "Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge," a CMT reality series that included eight other celebrities, including Vanilla Ice and Stephen Baldwin. However, he quit after one show, citing soreness and a lack of desire to continue.
In November of that year, Garrett released his last official album, "Three Sides of....", which included a remake of "I Was Made for Dancin'" and a cover of the 1975 Roxy Music hit "Love Is the Drug." He also did a guest appearance on the "Family Guy" episode "The Thin White Line."
Since 2008, Garrett has been a commentator on TruTV's "The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest...," where he spoofs his past troubles and public persona and participates in a wide variety of sketches and skits drummed up for him by the show's producers.
It's unclear whether his drug charge arrest last week will affect his participation on the show.
