Glee Stars And Crew React To Mark Salling's Death

The actor's former colleagues are sharing their thoughts following his apparent suicide.

Mark Salling, who rose to fame starring as Puck on Glee between 2009 and 2015, died at the age of 35 on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. After the news broke, his former costars and crew took to social media to react.

Matthew Morrison shared a photo of himself between Salling and Cory Monteith, who died from a drug overdose in July 2013. In the caption, he posted a sad face emoji between two angel emojis. In response, Jenna Ushkowitz left a heart emoji in a comment. Meanwhile, actor Iqbal Theba simply tweeted, "Oh Mark."

Paris Barclay, who directed multiple episodes of the hit Fox series, also shared a snapshot of himself with Salling and Monteith while the three worked on set. "It's a painful loss, again," he wrote. "Two young actors, lost too soon. RIP #marksalling."

One of the beloved show's producers, Tim Davis, expressed his condolences to Salling's loved ones on Twitter. "Today we lost another #Glee cast member. Yes, he committed crimes against children. Yes, it's horrific. But #MarkSalling was a broken man, no doubt an abuse victim himself," he wrote. "I loved Mark, and am sad when I consider the devastation of his parents. PLEASE withhold your cruel comments." 

In a follow-up post, which Jane Lynch retweeted, he added, "Let me be clear. Having compassion for #MarkSalling in no way minimizes his crimes, nor does it minimize the pain and devastation of the victims of those crimes. I'm just saying stop adding to his family's pain. This was their son. If you're without sin, feel free to cast stones."

Salling's attorney, Michael Proctor, also released a statement. "I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning," he said (via E! News). "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 Nicki Swift previously reported, Salling's body was reportedly found at a little league field near his Sunland, Calif. home on Tuesday morning. It is thought that he took his own life, possibly by hanging.

In December 2017, Salling pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography. He was out on bail at the time of his death and was expected to serve four to seven years behind bars following his sentence hearing, which was scheduled for March 2018. He had reportedly attempted suicide once before in August 2017.