Mark Salling

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Mark Salling

Mark Salling Glee Premiere.jpg

Salling in 2009

Born Mark Wayne Salling[1]

August 17, 1982

Dallas, Texas, U.S.

Died January 30, 2018 (aged 35)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Cause of death Suicide by hanging

Occupation Actor, composer, musician

Years active 1996–2015

Known for Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee

Mark Wayne Salling (/ˈsɔːlɪŋ/; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018)[2][3] was an American actor and
musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series Glee.[4]

Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before working as a guitar teacher. He also worked as
an occasional actor, appearing in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) and The Graveyard
(2006) before gaining a recurring role in Glee in 2009. Initially a regular character, from the fifth season
he was reduced to a recurring guest star role. On the show, he soloed and dueted on cover versions of
various songs. Pursuing a music career, he established his own label, Pipe Dreams Records, in
partnership with Fontana Distribution. On this label he released an album, Pipe Dreams, in 2010.

In 2015, Salling was arrested for the possession of child pornography.[5] In 2017, he pleaded guilty to
the charges[6] and committed suicide on January 30, 2018, before a sentencing hearing scheduled for
March 7.[7][8][9]

Contents

1 Early life and education

2 Career

2.1 Music

2.2 Acting

3 Personal life

3.1 Legal issues

3.1.1 Sexual assault charges

3.1.2 Child pornography charges

4 Death

5 Filmography

5.1 Film

5.2 Television

6 Discography

6.1 Studio albums

6.2 Singles

7 References

8 External links

Early life and education

Salling was born in Dallas, Texas,[9] the younger of two children[8] to John Robert Salling Jr., an
accountant,[10] and Condy Sue Salling (née Wherry), a school secretary.[8][11][12] He was home-
schooled at an early age.[9] He attended, but did not graduate from, Culver Military Academy and later
graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001. While in high school, he was a member of the
school wrestling team.[13] After graduating from high school, Salling attended the Los Angeles Music
Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California and began studying guitar, giving guitar lessons to
make a living.[14]

Career

Music

Salling sang, wrote, and produced his own music under the name Jericho. He also played the piano,
guitar, bass guitar, and drums.[14] Jericho's debut album Smoke Signals was released on February 8,
2008[15] by Jericho Records. On October 25, 2010, Salling released a rock/jazz album, Pipe Dreams,
which was inspired by Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Miles Davis, and Herbie Hancock.[16] It was
released by Pipe Dreams Records, Salling's own label, in partnership with Fontana Distribution.[14] He
was the composer, performer, and producer of each track.[14] The first single, "Higher Power",
premiered on August 10, 2010.[17]

On the television show Glee, he soloed and dueted on cover versions of various songs, including "Sweet
Caroline", "Only the Good Die Young", "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Run Joey Run", "Beth", "Just Give Me a
Reason", "Good Vibrations", and "Fat Bottomed Girls".[18] During filming, Salling paid tribute to the cast
of Glee by writing a song and creating a video titled "Chillin' on Glee'", which featured various cast and
crew members.[19]

Acting

Salling acted in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) and The Graveyard (2006). In 2008, he was
cast as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the Fox series Glee. On June 28, 2013, it was reported that Salling
would not be returning as a regular on Glee's fifth season, but would instead be a recurring guest star on
the series.[20]

Personal life

Salling dated Glee co-star Naya Rivera from 2007 to 2010, and Playboy model DJ Roxanne Dawn from
2010 to 2011.[11] He resided in Shadow Hills, Los Angeles, California.[21]

Salling was a long-time member of the Echo Park Ornithology Club in Los Angeles, and even penned
their theme song. The president and founder of the organization said that Salling "really enjoyed
birdwatching a lot, and he really cared about birds... he had a lot of animals at his house and he worked
at an animal rescue when I knew him. We went birdwatching together."[22]

Legal issues

Sexual assault charges

In January 2013, Salling's ex-girlfriend Roxanne Gorzela[8] accused him of committing sexual battery on
March 25, 2011, by having unprotected sex without knowledge that it was unprotected.[23][24][25] He
denied the charges and filed a counter-suit for defamation of character.[26] In March 2015, Salling
settled with Gorzela out of court and agreed to pay her US$2.7 million.[8][27]

Child pornography charges

On December 29, 2015, Salling was arrested at his Los Angeles home on suspicion of possessing several
thousand photos and videos depicting child pornography, following a tip-off to the police from one of his
ex-girlfriends.[11][28][29][30] He was released later on $20,000 bail, but a search warrant found more
than 50,000 images of child pornography, downloaded between April and December 2015, on his
computer and USB flash drives.[11] On May 27, 2016, he was charged with receiving and possessing
child pornography.[31] As a result of the charges, Salling was removed from the cast of Adi Shankar's
film Gods and Secrets.[32] On September 30, 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession of child
pornography, which was expected to result in Salling serving four to seven years in jail, registering as a
sex offender, and entering a treatment program, among other conditions. The guilty plea was formalized
on December 18, 2017,[6] and Salling's sentencing date was set for March 7, 2018.[33]

Death

Salling died by suicide by hanging on January 30, 2018,[34] near his home in the Sunland area of Los
Angeles. His body was found six hours after he was reported missing.[8][35][36] The manner of his death
was confirmed by the Los Angeles coroner's office, and death ruled a suicide.[34]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes

1996 Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering[37] James Rhodes Direct-to-video

2006 The Graveyard[5] Eric Direct-to-video

2011 Glee: The 3D Concert Movie[38]Noah "Puck" Puckerman/Himself

Television

Year Title Role Notes

1999 Walker, Texas Ranger[39] Billy Episode: "Rise To The Occasion"

2009–2015 Glee[39] Noah "Puck" Puckerman Main role (seasons 1–4)

Recurring role (seasons 5–6); 81 episodes[20]

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2009)[40]

Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy

Series (2010)[41]

Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy

Series (2011)[42]

Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy

Series (2012)[43]

Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male (2010)[44]

Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Group (2010) (shared with Glee Cast)[45]
Nominated—Choice TV: Scene Stealer Male (2011)[46]

2010 The X Factor[47] Himself Special guest

2011 The Glee Project[48] Himself Episode: "Sexuality"

2014 Rocky Road[49] Harrison Burke TV movie

Discography

See also: Glee discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions

US

[50] US Heat

[51] US Indie

[52]

2008 Smoke Signals (released under stage name Jericho)

Released: February 8, 2008

Label: Jericho Records

Formats: CD, digital download

— — —

2010 Pipe Dreams

Released: October 25, 2010[53]

Label: Fontana, Pipe Dreams Records

Formats: CD, digital download

189 5 29

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

Year Title Album

2010 "Higher Power" Pipe Dreams

References

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15, 2022.
"Mark Salling". TV Guide.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 29,
2015.

Corriston, Michelle; Corinthios, Aurelie; Warner, Kara; Pelisek, Christine (January 20, 2018). "Mark
Salling Dead in Apparent Suicide a Month Before His Sentencing in Child Porn Case". People. New York
City: Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

Fox's official Glee page Archived September 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

Zumberge, Marianne (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' Star Mark Salling Arrested for Possession of Child
Pornography". Variety. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

"Mark Salling Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography, Faces 4-7 Years in Prison". TheBlast.com. October 4,
2017. Archived from the original on October 5, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.

Deb, Sopan (January 30, 2018). "Mark Salling, Former 'Glee' Star, Is Found Dead". The New York Times.
Retrieved August 15, 2022.

"Former "Glee" Actor Mark Salling Dead of Apparent Suicide: Fast Facts to Know". Gossip On This.
January 30, 2018. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.

Williams, Janice (January 30, 2018). "What was Mark Salling's cause of death?". Newsweek. New York
City: IBT Media. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

Sitzer, Carly (January 30, 2018). "See the Last Public Photos of Mark Salling Before His Alleged Suicide".
inTouch. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.

Duncan, Amy (January 31, 2018). "Who is Mark Salling? Net worth, age and his relationships following
Glee actor's suicide". Metro. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.

"Mark Salling's Mom Was His 'Biggest Defender' Before His Death". US Magazine. January 30, 2018.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.

Chen, Eva (September 2010). "Mark Salling: Naughty by Nature". Teen Vogue. Archived from the
original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2011.

"Mark Salling Bio". MarkSallingMusic.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved
August 10, 2010.

Smoke Signals at AllMusic.com

"Pipe Dreams by Mark Salling". iTunes. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved
October 27, 2010.

Stack, Time (August 10, 2010). "'Glee' star Mark Salling announces debut album and premieres new
single: Listen to it here!". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Archived from the original on August 14,
2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.

"Glee — Sweet Caroline". Glee. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved December
29, 2015 – via Hulu.com.
"Mark's Tribute to his Glee Family". Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved October
18, 2011 – via YouTube.

Ausiello, Mark (June 28, 2013). "'Glee' Season 5: Heather Morris, Mark Salling and 2 Others Not
Returning as Regulars". TVLine.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved
December 29, 2015.

Serna, Joseph (December 30, 2015). "'Hundreds of images' seized in 'Glee' actor Mark Salling child porn
case, police say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 19, 2018.

Tracy, Brianne; Corinthios, Aurelie (January 31, 2018). "Mark Salling Was a 'Devout Christian' with
Passion for Birdwatching Before His Downfall: Friend". People. Retrieved February 20, 2018.

"Mark Salling Sexual Battery: 'Glee' Star Sued By Ex-Girlfriend". The Huffington Post. January 19, 2013.
Archived from the original on January 2, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.

"'Glee' Star Sued For Alleged Sexual Assault". Wonderwall.com. Archived from the original on June 5,
2013. Retrieved December 29, 2015.

Gennis, Sadie (January 19, 2013). "Mark Salling Sued by Ex-Girlfriend for Sexual Battery". TVGuide.com.
Retrieved December 29, 2015.

Ryder, Taryn (January 19, 2013). "Mark Salling: There Is 'No Truth' to Sexual Battery Lawsuit". Yahoo
Celebrity. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2015.

"'Glee' Star Mark Salling Settles with Former GF in Fight Over Sexual Encounter". TMZ. March 25, 2015.
Archived from the original on October 5, 2017.

Serna, Joseph (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' actor Mark Salling arrested on suspicion of possessing child
porn". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015.
Retrieved December 29, 2015.

Kurzweil, Anthony; Kuzj, Steve (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' Actor Mark Salling Reportedly Arrested in
Child Pornography Case". KTLA. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved December
29, 2015.

Leopold, Todd (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' actor Mark Salling arrested on child porn charges". CNN.
Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.

Cullins, Ashley (May 27, 2016). "Glee Actor Mark Salling Indicted for Possessing Child Pornography". The
Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2016.

Khatchatourian, Maane (May 31, 2016). "Mark Salling Dropped From 'Gods and Secrets' After Child Porn
Indictment". Variety. Retrieved February 19, 2018.

"Mark Salling Officially Enters Guilty Plea in Child Porn Case". TMZ. December 18, 2017. Archived from
the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2017.

"Glee actor Mark Salling's death was a suicide, coroner says". thestar.com. February 2, 2018. Retrieved
August 15, 2022.
 Savitsky, Sasha; Arnowitz, Leora (January 30, 2018). "Mark Salling dead; 'Glee' star was facing jail for
child porn possession". Fox News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 30,
2018.

Dillon, Nancy; DeSantis, Rachel (January 30, 2018). "'Glee' star Mark Salling dead at 35 in suspected
suicide by hanging". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2018.

Penn Turing, Martha (July 28, 2011). "Before They Were Gleeks: Mark Salling". E! Online. Archived from
the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

"Glee The 3d Concert Movie". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved
January 30, 2018.

Corriston, Michelle (December 29, 2015). "Mark Salling Arrested for Child Porn: Inside the Glee Star's
Big Break and Troubled Past". People. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January
30, 2018.

"16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Recipients - Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors
Guild. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2018.

"17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Nominations Announcement - Screen Actors Guild Awards".
Screen Actors Guild. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.

"Nominations Announced for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® - Screen Actors Guild
Awards". Screen Actors Guild. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved February 1,
2018.

"Nominations Announced for the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® - Screen Actors Guild
Awards". Screen Actors Guild. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved February 1,
2018.

Milet, Sandrine (June 28, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: Second (Giant) Wave Of Nominees
Announced!". Hollywood Crush. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August
16, 2010.

Soll, Lindsay (June 14, 2010). "Teen Choice Awards 2010: First Round Of Nominees Announced".
Hollywood Crush. Viacom. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2010.

"Teen Choice Awards 2011 Nominees Announced: Harry Potter vs Twilight". Huffington Post. June 29,
2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2017.

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Weekly. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

Mullins, Jenna (July 29, 2011). "The Glee Project: Watch Mark Salling & Ashley Fink Get Their Sexuality
On". E! Online. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.

"Rocky Road". September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January
30, 2018 – via Amazon.
"Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
Retrieved November 4, 2010.

"Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
Retrieved November 4, 2010.

"Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media,
Inc. Retrieved November 4, 2010.

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from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2010.

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This page was last edited on 10 November 2022, at 00:26 (UTC).

'Glee' actor Mark Salling, who pleaded guilty to child porn, found dead by apparent suicide

USA TODAY
Mark Salling in December 2013 in Hollywood.

Mark Salling, the former Glee star who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography and was
scheduled to be sentenced in March, was found dead Tuesday, an apparent suicide. He was 35.

Ed Winter, spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner's office, said Salling was found dead by the
Los Angeles River in Sunland, Calif., the neighborhood in the San Gabriel Mountains where Salling
resided. He was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. local time and an autopsy is pending.

The suspected cause is suicide by hanging, Winter said, but the final cause will be determined by
autopsy.

Salling's lawyer, Michael Proctor, confirmed his death to USA TODAY.

"I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning," Proctor said in an emailed statement
to USA TODAY. "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."

Remembering those we lost: Celebrity Deaths 2018

Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Det. Meghan Aguilar earlier said police were conducting a
“death investigation” in Sunland but declined to identify the body.

Salling was scheduled to be sentenced in early March under a plea agreement reached with federal
prosecutors in October in which he admitted to possessing pornographic images of prepubescent
children. The agreement stated that a search warrant found more than 50,000 images of child porn on
Salling's computer and a thumb drive.

Salling, best known as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee, was arrested in December 2015 after the
LAPD's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant on his home in the foothills
of the San Gabriel Mountains.
In May 2016, he was charged in a federal indictment with receiving and possessing child pornography,
the Justice Department in Los Angeles announced.

In the plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to ask a judge to sentence the actor to a prison term of four
to seven years. He would also be required to register as a sex offender, pay restitution and abide by
restrictions on where he could live.

Salling is the second former Glee actor to have died. Cory Monteith was found dead in a hotel room in
Vancouver, British Columbia, in July 2013. He was 31. The local coroner determined Monteith's death
was caused by accidental drug overdose due to a toxic mix of heroin and alcohol.