Mark Wayne Salling (August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018)[2][3] was an American actor and musician. He was known for his role asNoah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series Glee.[4]
Born in Dallas, Texas, Salling studied at theLos 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 2008. 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 January 2013, Salling was accused of sexual battery but settled with his accuser out of court. In December 2015, he was arrested and charged with possession of child pornography. Salling faced between four and seven years imprisonment after pleading guilty, but died of an apparent suicide prior to his sentencing.
Early life
Salling was born in Dallas, Texas[5] as the youngest of two children[6] to religious Christian parents; John Robert Salling Jr., an accountant,[7] and Condy Sue Salling (née Wherry), a school secretary.[6][8][9] He was of English and German ancestry[1] and home-schooled at an early age.[5] He attended Providence Christian School and Our Redeemer Lutheran during elementary school.[10] He attended but did not graduate from Culver Military Academy, and later graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001, where he was a classmate of art rock musician Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent.[11] While he attended high school, he was a member of the school wrestling team.[12] After graduating from high school, Salling attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music inPasadena, California and began studying guitar, giving guitar lessons to make a living.[13]
Career
Music
Salling sang, wrote, and produced his own music, and played the piano, guitar, bass guitar, and drums.[13] His solo project's (under the stage name "Jericho") debut album Smoke Signals was released on February 8, 2008,[14] under Jericho Records. On October 25, 2010, Salling released a rock/jazz album entitled Pipe Dreams, which was inspired by Alice in Chains, Nine Inch Nails, Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock.[15] It was released by Pipe Dreams Records, Salling's own label, in partnership with Fontana Distribution.[13] He was the composer, performer and producer, of each track.[13] The first single, "Higher Power", premiered on August 10, 2010.[16]
For 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".[17]During filming, Salling paid tribute to the cast of Glee by writing a song and creating a video entitled "Chillin' on Glee'", which featured various cast and crew members.[18]
Acting
Salling acted in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) and The Graveyard (2006). In 2008, he was cast as a regular character, Noah Puckerman, on Fox Broadcasting Company 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.[19]
Legal issues
Sexual assault charges
In January 2013, his ex-girlfriend, Roxanne Gorzela,[6] accused Salling of committing sexual battery by forcing her to have unprotected sex without her consent.[20][21][22] He denied the charges and filed a counter-suit for defamation of character.[23] In March 2015, Salling settled with Gorzela out of court after judges ordered him to pay her US$2.7 million.[6][24]
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 police from one of his ex-girlfriends.[8][25][26][27] He was released later on a $20,000 bailout but a search warrant found more than 50,000 images of child porn, downloaded between April and December 2015 on his computer and thumb drive.[8] On May 27, 2016, he was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography.[28] As a result of the charges, Salling was removed from the cast of Adi Shankar’s Gods and Secrets.[29] His trial began on September 12, 2017, in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.[30] On September 30, 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography, subsequently registering as a sex offender and entering a treatment program, among other conditions. The guilty plea was formalized on December 18, 2017, with Salling facing four to seven years in jail.[31] Salling's sentencing date was set for March 2018.[32]
Personal life and death
Salling dated Glee co-star, Naya Rivera, from 2007 to 2010 and Playboy model, DJ Roxanne Dawn, from 2010 to 2011.[8][1] He resided in Shadow Hills, Los Angeles.[33]
Salling was found dead from an apparent suicide by hanging on the morning of January 30, 2018 near his home in the Sunland area of Los Angeles.[6][34][35]
Filmography
Film
Television
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)
|
— |
— |
— |
| 2010 |
Pipe Dreams
- Released: October 25, 2010
- Label: Fontana, Pipe Dreams Records
- Formats: CD, digital download
|
189 |
5 |
29 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Peak |
Album |
| US[53] |
| 2010 |
"Higher Power" |
— |
Pipe Dreams |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart, or was not released. |
References
