What was Mark Salling's Net Worth?
Mark Salling was an American actor, singer-songwriter, composer, and musician who had a net worth of $100 thousand at the time of his death in 2018. Mark Salling was best known for playing Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the Fox television series "Glee." As a recording artist, he released the music albums "Smoke Signals" and "Pipe Dreams." Salling killed himself in early 2018 after pleading guilty to charges of possessing child pornography.
On January 30, 2018, Mark committed suicide. He had not been seen for some time and friends reported him as a missing person. At the time he was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. He was expected to get a 4-7 year sentence as part of the plea deal.
Early Life and Education
Mark Salling was born on August 17, 1982 in Dallas, Texas as the second and youngest child of school secretary Condy and accountant John. After being homeschooled in his early years, he attended Culver Military Academy and then Lake Highlands High School, graduating from the latter in 2001. Salling went on to enroll at the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music, where he studied guitar.
Recording Career
Salling began his professional music career singing, songwriting, producing, and playing a range of instruments under the stage name Jericho. In early 2008, he released his debut album, entitled "Smoke Signals," through Jericho Records. Salling later formed his own label called Pipe Dreams Records, through which he released the album "Pipe Dreams" in 2010. The first single off the album was entitled "Higher Power."
Glee
In 2009, Salling had his career breakthrough when he was cast on the Fox television musical series "Glee," about the various members of a fictional high school glee club in Ohio. He played Noah "Puck" Puckerman, the best friend and football teammate of Finn Hudson, played by Cory Monteith. The large ensemble cast of "Glee" also included Chris Colfer, Lea Michele, Amber Riley, Darren Criss, Naya Rivera, Matthew Morrison, and Jane Lynch, among others. Salling held a main role on the show through its fourth season, after which he was demoted to a recurring role for the final two seasons. He performed many solos and duets on the series over the years, including covers of such songs as "Sweet Caroline," "Just Give Me a Reason," "Fat Bottomed Girls," and "Good Vibrations." As part of the cast, Salling shared a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. "Glee" wrapped up in 2015.
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Other Acting Roles
Prior to "Glee," Salling acted in some films and television series. He made his screen-acting debut in 1996 in the direct-to-video slasher film "Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering," the fourth entry in the "Children of the Corn" series. It starred Naomi Watts, Karen Black, and Brent Jennings. Salling returned to the realm of direct-to-video film releases in 2006 when he was in another slasher film, "The Graveyard."
Among his other television acting roles, Salling appeared in an episode of the action-crime series "Walker, Texas Ranger" in 1999. He later appeared in the 2014 television film "Rocky Road."
Personal Life
From 2007 to 2010, Salling was in a romantic relationship with his "Glee" costar Naya Rivera. He subsequently dated Playboy model DJ Roxanne Dawn from 2010 to 2011.
Notably, Salling was an avid birdwatcher, and was a longtime member of Los Angeles' Echo Park Ornithology Club, for which he composed a theme song.
Sexual Assault Charges
In early 2013, Salling was accused by his ex-girlfriend DJ Roxanne Dawn of sexual assault, a charge stemming from Dawn's claim that the two had had unprotected sex without her being made aware of it. Denying the charges, Salling filed a countersuit for defamation. The pair ultimately settled out of court in 2015, with Salling paying Dawn $2.7 million.
Child Pornography Charges
Salling got into worse legal trouble at the tail end of 2015 when he was arrested on suspicion of possessing thousands of photos and videos of child pornography. After he was released on $20,000 bail, a search warrant turned up over 50,000 images of child pornography on both his computer and flash drives. Salling was subsequently charged with receiving and possessing child pornography in May of 2016. The following year, he pleaded guilty to the possession charge, with his sentencing date scheduled for March of 2018. Salling was expected to be sentenced to anywhere from four to seven years in jail, and to be ordered to join a treatment program.
Suicide
At the end of January in 2018, less than two months before his sentencing hearing, Salling killed himself by hanging near his home in Los Angeles. The city's coroner's office ruled his death a suicide.
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