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Mark Salling

Mark Salling
Salling in 2009
Born
Mark Wayne Salling[1]

(1982-08-17)August 17, 1982
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 2018(2018-01-30) (aged 35)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
EducationCulver Military Academy
Lake Highlands High School
Los Angeles College of Music
Occupations
  • Actor
  • composer
  • musician
Years active1996–2015
Known forNoah "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 as part of a plea deal.[6] He died by suicide on January 30, 2018, before a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 7.[7][8][9]

Early life and education

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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

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Music

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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

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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

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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]

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Sexual assault charges

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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 her knowing 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 $2.7 million.[8][27]

Child pornography charges

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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 pursuant to a 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, later renamed The Guardians of Justice.[32]

On September 30, 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography as part of a plea deal, which was expected to result in Salling being sentenced to four to seven years in jail, in addition to 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

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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 his death was ruled a suicide.[34] He was cremated.[37]

See also

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Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering[38] James Rhodes Direct-to-video
2006 The Graveyard[5] Eric Direct-to-video
2011 Glee: The 3D Concert Movie[39] Noah "Puck" Puckerman/Himself

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1999 Walker, Texas Ranger[40] Billy Episode: "Rise To The Occasion"
2009–2015 Glee[40] 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)[41]
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2010)[42]
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011)[43]
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2012)[44]
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Breakout Star Male (2010)[45]
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Group (2010) (shared with Glee Cast)[46]
Nominated—Choice TV: Scene Stealer Male (2011)[47]
2010 The X Factor[48] Himself Special guest
2011 The Glee Project[49] Himself Episode: "Sexuality"
2014 Rocky Road[50] Harrison Burke TV movie

Discography

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See also: Glee discography

Studio albums

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Year Album details Peak chart positions
US
[51] 		US Heat
[52] 		US Indie
[53]
2008 Smoke Signals (released under stage name Jericho) — — —
2010 Pipe Dreams
  • Released: October 25, 2010[54]
  • Label: Fontana, Pipe Dreams Records
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 189 5 29
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

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Year Title Album
2010 "Higher Power" Pipe Dreams

References

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  1. ^ Kaufman, Gil (January 30, 2018). "'Glee' Actor Mark Salling Dies at 35". billboard.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Mark Salling". TV Guide.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Fox's official Glee page Archived September 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b 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.
  6. ^ a b "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.
  7. ^ Deb, Sopan (January 30, 2018). "Mark Salling, Former 'Glee' Star, Is Found Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "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.
  9. ^ a b c Williams, Janice (January 30, 2018). "What was Mark Salling's cause of death?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ a b c d 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.
  12. ^ "Mark Salling's Mom Was His 'Biggest Defender' Before His Death". US Magazine. January 30, 2018. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.
  13. ^ Chen, Eva (September 2010). "Mark Salling: Naughty by Nature". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2011.
  14. ^ a b c d "Mark Salling Bio". MarkSallingMusic.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  15. ^ Smoke Signals at AllMusic.com
  16. ^ "Pipe Dreams by Mark Salling". iTunes. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  17. ^ Stack, Time (August 10, 2010). "'Glee' star Mark Salling announces debut album and premieres new single: Listen to it here!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 14, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  18. ^ "Glee — Sweet Caroline". Glee. Archived from the original on December 2, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2015 – via Hulu.com.
  19. ^ "Mark's Tribute to his Glee Family". October 31, 2009. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2011 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ a b 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "'Glee' Star Sued For Alleged Sexual Assault". Wonderwall.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  25. ^ Gennis, Sadie (January 19, 2013). "Mark Salling Sued by Ex-Girlfriend for Sexual Battery". TVGuide.com. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ "'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.
  28. ^ Serna, Joseph (December 29, 2015). "'Glee' actor Mark Salling arrested on suspicion of possessing child porn". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ Khatchatourian, Maane (May 31, 2016). "Mark Salling Dropped From 'Gods and Secrets' After Child Porn Indictment". Variety. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ a b "Glee actor Mark Salling's death was a suicide, coroner says". Toronto Star. Associated Press. February 2, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  35. ^ 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.
  36. ^ 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.
  37. ^ "Mark Salling Will be Cremated After Committing Suicide". February 6, 2018.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ "Glee The 3d Concert Movie". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  40. ^ a b 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.
  41. ^ "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.
  42. ^ "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.
  43. ^ "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.
  44. ^ "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.
  45. ^ 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.
  46. ^ 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.
  47. ^ "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.
  48. ^ Bierly, Mandi (December 6, 2010). "'Glee' rocks 'The X Factor' with 'Don't Stop Believin'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  49. ^ 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.
  50. ^ "Rocky Road". September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Amazon.
  51. ^ "Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  52. ^ "Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  53. ^ "Mark Salling Album & Song Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  54. ^ "GLEE's Mark Salling to Release New Solo Album, 10/12". Broadway World. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
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