Mark Salling, best known for his role in the musical show Glee, was found dead near his Los Angeles home. He was 35.
According to Buzzfeed News, Salling was found near a riverbed. The LA police confirmed that officers responded to scene near the foothill community of Sunland at 8:50 am on Tuesday, where they found the body. Salling had been reported missing hours earlier. Reports suggest that he may have taken his own life.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, the actor’s lawyer, Michael J 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.”
Salling was found in possession of over more than 50,000 images and hundreds of videos of child pornography, with some of the female victims as young as 3 to 5 years old. Acting on a tip in 2015, Salling was initially arrested by LA police on December 29, 2015, and released on bond.
He entered into a plea deal last October, avoiding a lengthier prison sentence of up to 20 years. Reports state that he was expected to be sentenced in March to four to seven years in prison, and be ordered to register as a sex offender. He also agreed to pay $50,000 to each victim who submitted a formal restitution request, and to spend 20 years under supervised release.
Reactions towards his death have mostly been mixed, with most stating that he was, after all, a pedophile.
Suicide is tragic but there is a very big difference between innocent people losing their battle to depression and Mark Salling avoiding the punishment of his sick crimes. Let’s not lump these people together.
— queen b (@britnope_) January 30, 2018
mark salling killed himself so he wouldnt have to go to jail for possession of 50,000+ pics and vids of sexual abuse inflicted on children. stop feeling sorry for him.
— hannah (@tiredhan) January 31, 2018
it’s disgusting to think that just a couple months ago ppl were sending their condolences and sympathies for the suicide of chester bennington, a victim of childhood sexual abuse who has never fully recovered, and now ppl are sympathizing w/ mark salling, a fucking pedophile
— rei (@tunahater) January 31, 2018
Unless you’ve been a victim of sexual assault & have a lived experience of how debilitating it leaves you for the rest of your life,do NOT @ me with your “but it’s suicide” bullshit for a convicted sex offender. #MarkSalling
I don’t care.
Those poor kids will NEVER fully recover.— Prossy (@Pkakooza) January 31, 2018
One day the internet roasts Logan Paul for being insensitive over suicide and the next day it will be celebrating over Mark Salling’s suicide. Mark was a piece of shit who deserved to spend his life in jail/a clinic. Not to die. Sorry if i can’t be happy for his death.
— ale ?? (@camilahumor) January 31, 2018
Meanwhile, his Glee co-star Matthew Morrison paid tribute to him on social media.
Feature Image: Hello Magazine
