"Glee" star Mark Salling, who faced sentencing in March on child pornography charges, was found dead Tuesday in Los Angeles, his attorney, Michael Procter, confirmed to HuffPost. He was 35.
"I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning," Proctor said in a statement. "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."
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson told HuffPost that authorities responded to a reported death in the 11900 block of Big Tujunga Canyon Road at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, but wouldn't identify the person. TMZ, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, was first to report Salling's death was suicide.
Salling, who played Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the TV series, faced up to seven years in prison after pleading guilty in October to possessing child pornography involving prepubescent minors. A plea deal required him to register as a sex offender, enter a treatment program and pay $50,000 to each victim who requested compensation. He was also forbidden from contacting anyone under 18 without a parent or guardian present, and was barred from going within 100 feet of public parks and schoolyards.
Salling's sentencing hearing was set for March 7.
Tens of thousands of images found
In December 2015, the actor was arrested on suspicion of possessing images of underage girls, along with two videos, on his personal computer. Authorities found tens of thousands of images depicting children as young as 2, according to court documents.
Salling found a unique outlet for his lifelong interest in music on "Glee," a musical comedy series following the members of a high-school glee club that ran for six seasons, concluding in 2015.
"I've been doing the whole music thing my whole life ― piano lessons, writing songs, singing and performing," Salling told talk-show host Wendy Williams in 2009, explaining how he landed the role of Puck, best friend of quarterback Finn Hudson.
"It's pretty natural," Salling added.
Finn was played by Corey Monteith, who died in 2013 from a mix of alcohol and heroin.
Are you in a crisis? If you need help, contact your local crisis centre. If you know someone who may be having thoughts of suicide, visit suicideprevention.ca to learn how to talk about suicide with the person you're worried about.