Glee actor Mark Salling has passed away in an apparent suicide weeks before being sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography.
“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,” his attorney Michael Proctor told PEOPLE. “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.”
An LAPD PIO also revealed to PEOPLE that officers responded to a death investigation on Tuesday morning at 8:50 a.m., however, they could not identify Salling at the time.
This comes after actor pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography which involved a prepubescent minor Oct. 4, 2017. Although, the late actor was due to be sentenced in March and was set to to serve between four to seven years in behind bars.
“Mark is focused on accepting responsibility and attempting to atone for his conduct,” Proctor said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time.
Salling is best known for playing jock Noah “Puck” Puckerman on the hit show Glee between 2009-15.
Sending love to his family during this tough time.
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