Glee star Mark Salling found dead at 35 in apparent suicide
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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.
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.
