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Earlier this week, the world was shocked by the death of Mark Salling, the 35-year-old actor best known for his work on the hit Fox series Glee.

Back in October, Salling pled guilty to possession of child pornography, and he was expected to serve 4-7 years behind bars.

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Salling attempted suicide shortly after accepting the plea deal, so many who knew him best were not surprised to learn that he appeared to have taken his own life.

At first, details of the actor’s final hours were scarce.

On Wednesday, police ruled Salling’s death a suicide and revealed the method by which the disgraced star took his own life.

“He was discovered hanging from a tree in the Los Angeles River,” LA County Medical Examiner Public Information Officer Ed Winter stated.

“We have notified the next of kin and he has been identified. We will perform an autopsy on the body within the next few days. At this point, I am not able to say when the results will be presented.”

Mark Salling on Way to Court
(Getty)

Due to the fact that Salling had been found near a river, an erroneous report that he drowned himself and washed up on shore made its way across social media.

We now know definitively that that was not the case.

Before yesterday, the only official statement to the press regarding Salling’s death was issued by his attorney, Michael J. Proctor:

“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 judgment,” the statement read.

“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.”

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According to police, more than 50,000 explicit images and videos of pre-pubescent children were found in Salling’s home.

The actor rose to fame playing Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee, but like so many of his co-stars from the popular musical comedy series, his career stalled in the years since the show came to an end.

For obvious reasons, the response to the death has been mixed, with many arguing that our sympathy should be reserved only for Salling’s victims, not for Salling himself.

Wherever you stand on the issue, we’re sure you’ll agree that Salling’s long-suffering family deserves our compassion during this difficult time.

Our thoughts go out to his parents and brother.