Mark Salling's Glee co-stars have reacted to the news of his death, at the age of 35. Jane Lynch, who starred alongside the actor in all six seasons of the show, told TMZ the news was "sad, very tragic". Asked how she would remember Mark, she replied: "As the guy who made the really sweet video at the beginning of Glee when he was so happy to be a part of it." Jane, 57, added: "It's tragic and I'm heartbroken over it." Mark – who played footballer Noah 'Puck' Puckerman on Glee from 2009 until 2015 - was found by the LAPD on Tuesday having reportedly taken his own life. He was due to be sentenced on 7 March after pleading guilty to possessing child sex abuse images, and was expected to get between four and seven years in prison.
© Photo: Getty ImagesJane Lynch described the news of Mark Salling's death as "very tragic"
His lawyer said in a statement: "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 judgement. 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."
© Photo: RexGlee stars including Mark Salling (top left) and Cory Monteith (top right)
Tim Davis, the show's former vocal coordinator, took to Twitter following the news. "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 said. "I loved Mark, and am sad when I consider the devastation of his parents. PLEASE withhold your cruel comments." Tim later added: "Let me be clear. Having compassion for #MarkSalling in no way minimizes his crimes, nor does it minimise 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."
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Matthew Morrison, who played Will Schuester on the show, uploaded an image on Instagram, showing himself with Mark and Cory Monteith, who also starred in Glee and who died of an overdose in 2013. He simply captioned the image with two angel emojis.
