Mark Salling

Mark Wayne Salling was an American actor and musician, best known for playing the role of Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series Glee. Born on August 17, 1982, in Dallas, Texas, he worked across television, film, and music throughout his career.

Salling was the younger of two children born to John Robert Salling Jr., an accountant, and Condy Sue Salling, a school secretary. He was home-schooled at an early age before attending Culver Military Academy, though he did not graduate from the institution. He later graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 2001, where he was a member of the school wrestling team. Following high school, he attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California, where he studied guitar and gave music lessons.

Before landing his breakthrough role, Salling worked as an occasional actor, appearing in the feature films Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering in 1996 and The Graveyard in 2006. In 2008, he was cast as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the Fox television series Glee, which debuted in 2009. Initially a main regular character, his status shifted to a recurring guest star starting in the fifth season. On the show, he performed solo and duet cover versions of several songs, including "Sweet Caroline," "The Lady Is a Tramp," and "Good Vibrations." He also wrote a song and produced a video titled "Chillin' on Glee" as a tribute to the show's cast and crew.

Alongside acting, Salling pursued a career as a musician, playing the piano, guitar, bass guitar, and drums while writing and producing his own material. He initially released music under the stage name Jericho, issuing his debut album Smoke Signals on February 8, 2008, through Jericho Records. In 2010, he established his own label, Pipe Dreams Records, in partnership with Fontana Distribution. Under this label, he composed, performed, produced, and released the rock and jazz album Pipe Dreams on October 25, 2010, which was preceded by the single "Higher Power."

Salling resided in Shadow Hills, Los Angeles, California. He dated his Glee co-star Naya Rivera from 2007 to 2010, and model DJ Roxanne Dawn from 2010 to 2011. Outside of entertainment, he was a member of the Echo Park Ornithology Club in Los Angeles, for which he composed a theme song. He actively participated in birdwatching, worked with an animal rescue organization, and kept several animals at his home.

In January 2013, Salling was named in a civil suit by an ex-girlfriend, which he settled out of court in March 2015. In December 2015, he was arrested in Los Angeles on child pornography charges, which subsequently led to his removal from the cast of the film Gods and Secrets. He pleaded guilty to the charges in late 2017 as part of a plea deal. Salling died by suicide on January 30, 2018, in Los Angeles, prior to his scheduled sentencing hearing.