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Mark Salling, who played bad-boy Noah (Puck) Puckerman in the hit musical-comedy Glee, died of an apparent suicide Tuesday, weeks after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. He was 35.
A law enforcement official not authorized to speak publicly said Salling was found hanging in a riverbed area in the Tujunga neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Ed Winter, assistant chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, said the death is being investigated as a suicide.
Winter said Salling was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. Tuesday, six hours after police received a report that he was missing.
READ MORE: Mark Salling dead: Former ‘Glee’ actor dies of suspected suicide
“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,” Salling’s lawyer, Michael J. Proctor, said in an email to the Associated Press.
Proctor didn’t discuss the cause of death but said the actor’s family appreciated the support it is receiving and asked that a request for privacy be respected.
Salling’s former co-stars from Glee — on which he starred from 2009 to 2015 — as well as friends have shared their thoughts and reactions to his death, expressing their condolences to Salling’s family.
READ MORE: ‘Glee’ star Mark Salling pleads guilty in child pornography case
Matthew Morrison posted a throwback photo that included himself, Salling and Cory Monteith, who died of a drug overdose in 2013 in Vancouver, B.C. at the age of 31.
Morrison’s Instagram caption was the angel and sad face emojis.
Paris Barclay, who directed several episodes of Glee, also shared a throwback photo of Monteith and Salling.
“It’s a painful loss, again,” the director shared. “Two young actors, lost too soon. RIP #marksalling.”
READ MORE: Mark Salling, former Glee actor, to plead guilty to child porn charges
Glee vocal coach Tim Davis also expressed his condolences to Salling’s family. “Today we lost another #Glee cast member. Yes, he committed crimes against children. Yes, it’s horrific. But #MarkSalling was a broken man, no doubt an abuse victim himself,” he wrote. “I loved Mark, and am sad when I consider the devastation of his parents. PLEASE withhold your cruel comments.”
He wrote a followup tweet. “Let me be clear. Having compassion for #MarkSalling in no way minimizes his crimes, nor does it minimize the pain and devastation of the victims of those crimes. I’m just saying stop adding to his family’s pain. This was their son. If you’re without sin, feel free to cast stones.”
Jane Lynch retweeted Davis’ followup message.
Lynch also spoke to TMZ and said that she’s left “broken-hearted” by Salling’s death. She said, “It’s sad. Very tragic.”
READ MORE: Naya Rivera reveals she had an abortion while on ‘Glee’
Iqbal Theba, also known as Principal Figgins, wrote on Twitter, “Oh Mark.”
Theba went on to tweet that Salling’s “death is painful for me. Some of u might know him for only his flaws but I also knew him as someone who was great to work with & was kind to my kids. I truly wish he’d fought his demons & atoned himself & came out a winner. May we all find solace in some of his gentler memories.”
READ MORE: ‘Glee’ star Mark Salling pleads not guilty in child porn case
Finneas O’Connell, who played Allistair on Glee, insisted that he didn’t “feel sorry” for the late actor. He wrote, “I met Mark Salling once when we were filming the final episode of Glee together. I didn’t know him at all and I won’t pretend I did. It’s been a horrifying thing these past two years finding out about the crimes he’s committed. I don’t feel sorry for him. Only sorry for his fans.”
He has since deleted the tweet.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the Canadian suicide hotline, available 24/7, at 1-800-668-6868. For more information on suicide and to find help nearest you, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention. Please call 911 for immediate help.
— With files from the Associated Press
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