Mark Salling has died at the age of 35 in an apparent suicide by hanging.
According to TMZ, Salling was found after a welfare check which led to a baseball field by the Los Angeles River in Sunland, which is near his home, after a family member reported him missing in early Tuesday morning.
His lawyer, Michael J. Proctor, confirmed the news to Page Six, “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 on child pornography charges after pleading guilty in December. He was indicted on two counts two counts of child pornography and had in his possession over 50,000 images and 600 videos of girls ages 3 to 5 years of age.
Back in August, before agreeing to the plea deal, TMZ learned that Salling had been rushed to the hospital after cutting himself badly enough that his roommate called 911. His lawyer denied the allegations.
Salling is best known for his role as Puck on FOX's drama Glee, but also has credits for Walker, Texas Ranger, The Graveyard and Rocky Road to his name.
He is survived by his parents Condy Sue (née Wherry) and John Robert Salling, Jr. as well as his older brother Matt.