« Glee » actor Mark Salling died of asphyxia by suicide as he awaited sentencing in his child pornography case, coroner says
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Mark Salling, the disgraced “Glee” star whose body was found earlier this week, died of asphyxia by hanging, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
The manner of death for Salling, who was due to be sentenced in March after pleading guilty in the child pornography case against him, was suicide, the coroner’s office added.
News broke Tuesday that Salling’s body was found in Sunland, Calif. The actor, who played Noah “Puck” Puckerman on the Fox series, was 35. According to TMZ, Salling was found hanging from a tree after police were called to do a “welfare check” and discovered the actor at a baseball field.
Also Read: ‘Glee’ Fans Torn About Mark Salling’s Death: ‘He Clearly Dealt With a Lot of Demons’
The actor pleaded guilty to possessing approximately 25,000 images of children engaged in sexual conduct, the U. S. Department of Justice said in December.
Salling specifically pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent.
In October’s plea agreement, Salling acknowledged that he downloaded the images from the internet in 2015 and used software designed to conceal his activity.
Also Read: Mark Salling, Former ‘Glee’ Star, Dies at 35
The collection was discovered on a laptop computer, a hard drive and a USB flash drive after Salling showed some of the images to a girlfriend, who reported the matter to local enforcement, according to the DOJ.
The charge that Salling pleaded to carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, but under the plea agreement, the parties agreed that a four to seven-year prison sentence would be appropriate.
5 Biggest Bombshells From Naya Rivera’s Memoir (Photos)
Former « Glee » star Naya Rivera dropped her memoir « Sorry Not Sorry » this week, and readers’ jaws dropped right along with it, as Rivera revealed one juicy nugget after another. Read on for the biggest eyebrow-raisers from the book. Getty Images
In the book, Rivera revealed that she had an abortion during a break from filming « Glee » in 2010. Rivera, who had broken up with actor Ryan Dorsey just weeks before discovering she was with child, opted to terminate the pregnancy in order to focus on her career. Getty Images
Rivera also detailed the extent of her tension with « Glee » co-star Lea Michele, claiming that Michele « didn’t like sharing the spotlight » and didn’t say a word to Rivera throughout an entire season of the Fox musical series. “Lea and I definitely weren’t the best of friends,” Rivera wrote. Yeah, no kidding. Getty Images
The actress’ ex-boyfriend and former « Glee » co-star, Mark Salling, was arrested on child porn charges last year. Though the arrest occurred years after their breakup, Rivera wrote that it didn’t come as a surprise to her. “I can’t say I was totally shocked, » Rivera’s memoir revealed. Getty Images
Rivera also found time to point a finger at singer Ariana Grande, claiming that she caught Grande and her then-fiance, rapper Big Sean, together at Sean’s house. (Actually, she only all-but-named Grande, referring to the interloper as « Smariana Schmande. ») Getty Images
In the book, Rivera reflects on former « Glee » colleague Cory Monteith, who died at age 31 in 2013 of combined drug intoxication after battling addiction. According to Nivera, Monteith’s castmates were shocked to see Monteith drinking booze at a cast party, despite his struggle with substance abuse. « He noticed that we noticed… He explained that he wanted to be able to drink in moderation. » Getty Images Previous Slide Next Slide
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From a secret abortion to serious tensions with “Glee” co-star Lea Michele, here are the major jaw-droppers from “Sorry Not Sorry”
Former « Glee » star Naya Rivera dropped her memoir « Sorry Not Sorry » this week, and readers’ jaws dropped right along with it, as Rivera revealed one juicy nugget after another. Read on for the biggest eyebrow-raisers from the book.
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