The Glee cast and crew have come under fire on social media following their tributes to Mark Salling after news of his death was revealed.
The actor died aged 35 in a suspected suicide. Salling pleaded guilty last month to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.
He was expected to serve up to seven years in prison and was due to be sentenced on March 7.
Now his former castmate Matthew Morrison and Glee vocal producer Tim Davis have spoken out on social media with their condolences for the disgraced actor.
Davis called for those condemning him on social media to stop in consideration for his family's feelings.
Meanwhile, Morrison simply shared an image alongside a sad face and angel emoji, which enraged some fans for its connotations, along with the use of Corey Monteith's image – another Glee actor, who died in 2013 following an accidental drug overdose.
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One wrote: "That caption is so wrong and disgusting!! He is definitely not an angel and should never be put in the same category as Corey, so disrespectful!"
However, some of his followers felt it was right to mourn him, as one fan wrote: "Yes what he did was wrong yes I'm not advocating saying what he did was right but the man died.
"Let people mourn because trust me if one of your friends or family was in his situation and this happened you would be saying the same thing."
Meanwhile, another Glee star, Jane Lynch, who played Sue Sylvester, told TMZ that the news was "sad, very tragic". She added that she'd remember him as "the guy who made the really sweet video at the beginning of Glee when he was so happy to be a part of this group", adding: "It's tragic and I'm broken-hearted a bit."
In a statement, Salling's lawyer said: "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.
"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."
Mark Salling starred as Noah 'Puck' Puckerman in the Emmy-winning musical comedy Glee along with a few other minor roles earlier in his career in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering and Walker, Texas Ranger.
For more information on the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and how they can help you or someone who you know is in need, please click here.
Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 1-800-273-8255 or visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
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Laurence Mozafari (he/him) is a multi-award winning journalist, editor, and presenter. A former Editor-in-Chief of Digital Spy, Laurence previously held roles as the site's Editor, Deputy Editor, and Associate Editor focusing on news, social, and video. Laurence hosted the BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed with Peaky Blinders in 2019. He also hosts his own podcast production, Time of My Life, where he interviews fascinating elders about their life lessons, including Only Fools and Horses' Sir David Jason, Star Trek’s George Takei and Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh.
Laurence was named Editorial Director – Youth Audience at Reach in early 2025. Prior to joining Digital Spy, he was previously at Bauer Media working as Digital Editor of Heat magazine's website Heatworld.com, and has also worked at and written for Sky, NME, Q magazine, Grazia, Closer, FHM and dedicated careers website GoThinkBig. He secured a first-class BA journalism degree at Staffordshire University, along with several NCTJ qualifications, and now has 14 years' experience in digital publishing covering TV, movies, music, gaming, tech, showbiz, and travel.
Laurence has been a broadcasting contributor on television and radio, including KISS, Heat Radio, BBC Radio London, Radio 5 Live, and BBC Breakfast.
He is also a visiting lecturer at various universities teaching journalism, including City, University of London, Nottingham Trent, Staffordshire University and London Metropolitan. Laurence has won numerous awards in his journalism career, including the BSME Talent Award’s Best Deputy Editor, the PPA's 30 Under 30, and the New Editor and Editor of the Year at the AOP and BSMEs. He led Digital Spy to win PPA's Digital Content Team of the Year twice, along with the British Media Awards’ Brand of the Year in 2021.
Laurence joined the committee for the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2022 and was named vice-chair in 2025. He has since hosted panels with CEOs of Immediate Media and the Media Trust at the PPA Festival, as well as presenting his own radio show on Green Man Radio at Green Man Festival in 2022. Laurence is also a Brits voting academy member.
Laurence has been lucky enough to interview numerous celebrities, actors, and musicians throughout his career. Arnold Schwarzenegger loved his hair, Jimmy Carr loved his coat and Antonio Banderas gave a shout-out to his mum. Laurence has covered set visits for The Witcher on Netflix and Marvel’s Inhumans, he got Daisy Ridley to do a Chewbacca impression and loves Marvel, PlayStation, Glastonbury and craft beer. Linkedin
