Mark Salling Dead From Suicide

(Getty Images)

Mark Salling is dead. The former “Glee” star, who was facing prison time for child pornography, died of an apparent suicide. He was 35.

As Gossip Cop has reported, Salling was arrested in December 2015 after an ex-girlfriend told police he was in possession of illicit material. Police raided his home, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force uncovered pornographic material, including more than a thousand photos and videos, involving minor children. Some were said to be as young as 10 years old.

In May of 2016, Salling was formally indicted on felony charges, and the following month, he entered a plea of not guilty. Though he was out on bail, the actor was forced to surrender his passport and wear an ankle monitoring bracelet. He also had to receive court-ordered permission to use the internet.

The next development didn’t come until this past fall. In October 2017, Salling agreed to change his plea to guilty. As part of a deal with prosecutors, it was expected he’d be sentenced to serve between four and seven years behind bars. He was originally facing as many as 40 years. His guilty plea became official in December, at which point it was said his sentencing hearing would take place in March 2018.

But Salling was found dead on Tuesday at the Los Angeles River, which is located near his home, reports TMZ. While authorities suspect he took his own life, a specific cause of death has not been released. Gossip Cop will have updates as appropriate.

Salling is pictured above outside court in 2016. He was best known for starring on “Glee,” in which he played Noah “Puck” Puckerman. He was a regular cast member for the first four seasons, which aired from 2009 through 2013. Thereafter, his role was recurring. The series ended in 2015. Salling appeared on multiple soundtracks for the FOX show, and he also released two albums of his own music.

Through “Glee,” Salling had a relationship with co-star Naya Rivera. In 2013, he was accused of sexual battery by an ex who sued him. They ended up settling out of court. At the time of his arrest, he was attached to a movie called Gods And Secrets. Director Adi Shankar initially said he would not cut Salling from the film unless the allegations against him were “true.” He was ultimately removed from the project.