Former Glee actor Mark Salling has died.
He was 35 years old. The actor was reportedly found by police in the Sunland area of Los Angeles on Tuesday, according to TMZ. His attorney confirmed the news in a statement to PEOPLE magazine. In the statement, Michael Proctor said:
“I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning. 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 judgment. He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected.”
He pled guilty to the possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor in October 2017. He struck a plea deal in December and was due to be sentenced in March. Following the plea deal, he was facing between four and seven years in prison. His attorney told PEOPLE magazine at the time that the star was “attempting to atone” for his conduct.
The statement read: “Mark is focused on accepting responsibility and attempting to atone for his conduct.”
The former Glee star was arrested in December 2015 after investigators alleged a USB flash drive, laptop and hard drive seized from his residence contained thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography. The TV star, who rose to fame as the musical series’ football player Noah “Puck” Puckerman, had initially pleaded not guilty in 2016 to two counts receiving and possessing child pornography. Salling first appeared on TV during a 1999 episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. He went on to appear in a made-for-TV movie called Rocky Road before beginning his role on Glee, where he played Puck from 2009 to 2015.
