Mark Salling’s lawyer, Michael J. Proctor, has spoken out after news broke of the Glee alum’s death.
“I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning,” Proctor said in a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 30. “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.”
As previously reported, Us confirmed that Salling was found dead from an apparent suicide on Tuesday. TMZ reported that 35-year-old actor’s body was discovered by a riverbed in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles. The LAPD also confirmed to Us that they responded to a death investigation on Big Tjunga Cyn road at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday.
Salling, who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in December 2017, was awaiting his March sentencing for the charges. He previously struck a plea deal in which he agreed to serve four to seven years in jail. Other conditions of his agreement included registering as a sex offender and staying 100 feet away from schoolyards, parks, public swimming pools, playgrounds and video arcade venues.
In October 2017, TMZ reported Salling attempted suicide by cutting his wrists. His lawyer denied the claims. “Mark is physically fine and … spending his time atoning and working on himself,” his lawyer told the publication at the time.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
