Law enforcement sources state that they found former 'Glee' star Mark Salling's body hanging from a tree. The body was found near his home in the Tujunga neighbourhood of Los Angeles and officials state that the actor’s death is being investigated as a suicide. Salling’s lawyer released a statement on his death.
Th statement read, “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.” Salling was awaiting sentencing after entering a guilty plea to possession of child pornography in December. He was scheduled to be sentenced on the 7th of March.
The actor had reached a plea agreement with the prosecutors in October in which he admitted he possessed images of prepubescent children. The agreement stated a search warrant found more than 50,000 images of child porn on Salling’s computer and a thumb drive. The content depicted children as young as three years old being abused, according to court documents. Prosecutors and Salling had agreed to ask a judge for a sentence of between four to seven years in prison. The actor was to register as a sex offender and pay $50,000 restitution to each victim who has requested it. He would also have to abide by residency restrictions where he must stay 30 metres away from schoolyards, parks, public swimming pools, playgrounds and video arcades.
The actor was best known for playing bad boy Noah (Puck) Puckerman in the musical dramedy, 'Glee'.
