Glee star Mark Salling found dead at 35 in apparent suicide

Glee star Mark Salling has been found dead near his home in Los Angeles.

His death is being investigated as a suicide.

The 35-year-old actor, best known for playing Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee from 2009 to 2015, pleaded guilty last year to possessing child sex abuse images.

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He was expected to be handed between four and seven years in prison at his sentencing on March 7.

Salling was arrested in 2015 after police received a tip-off.

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Prosecutors said that investigators ultimately found more than 50,000 child abuse images on his laptop and hard drive.

The actor entered into a plea deal in October, which allowed him to avoid a longer sentence of up to 20 years.


A law enforcement official said Salling's body was found near a riverbed in Tujunga, Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a suicide, according to The Associated Press.

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Photos from US media outlets suggest he was discovered near his home.

The late actor's lawyer, Michael J Proctor, said in a statement: "I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning.

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"Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgement."

Proctor added: "He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother.

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"The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected."

Actor Matthew Morrison has reacted to the death on Instagram, posting a picture of him between Glee co-stars Salling and Cory Monteith, who died aged 31 in 2013 after ingesting heroin and alcohol.

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Morrison, who played teacher Will Schuester on the show, captioned the picture: " ".

Actor Jane Lynch, who has long been an LGBT icon , told TMZ that Salling's death was "sad and very tragic".

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Lynch, who played Sue Sylvester on Glee, added that she would remember him from his time on the show.