Mark Salling's Cause of Death Revealed

mark salling
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The former 'Glee' star was found dead in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday.

Mark Salling's cause of death is asphyxia by hanging by suicide, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirms to ET. The former Glee star was found dead near his home in Sunland, California on Tuesday. He was 35.

Before he died, Salling was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. A source told ET on Wednesday that the actor had "distanced himself very much from the friends he was closest to." 

The source noted that before Salling's child pornography arrest on Dec. 29, 2015, "he would often have friends over to his home in Sunland, [California]," adding, "He was himself the most when he was at home. In fact, he had a bird sanctuary in his backyard where he rescued birds then rehabilitated them," the source recalls. "He was very proud of that."

Watch below for a timeline of Salling's troubles and legal issues in the last few years of his life.

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