Glee' star Mark Salling found dead of apparent suicide near his California home

Actor Mark Salling has died in an apparent suicide, officials confirmed Tuesday.

His body was found hanging in a tree near a little league baseball field next to a creek in Sunland, California, not far from his home, TMZ reported.

Salling was best known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the hit TV show "Glee" that ran from 2009 to 2015. He was facing sentencing in March after pleading guilty to charges of possession of child pornography involving prepubescent minors.

Police do not suspect foul play.

Salling's attorney issued this statement:

"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."

In December 2015, police arrested Salling for possession of child pornography.

Prosecutors said Salling had 50,000 images of child porn on his computer and a flash drive.

In May 2016, the Los Angeles Justice Department charged Salling in a federal indictment with receiving and possessing child pornography, USA Today reported.

He was expected to receive a sentence of four to seven years in prison as part of his plea agreement that was reached in October.

Salling was born in Dallas, Texas, where he attended school.