Refusing To Mourn Mark Salling's Death By Suicide Is Wrong | The Odyssey Online
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Stop Refusing To Mourn Mark Salling, He Was Mentally Ill And We Ignorantly Ignored It

If he had gotten help back in 2013 and received coaching from a trained professional, maybe Salling never would have accumulated the photos of those underage girls. Twice. Maybe he never would have slit his wrists.

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Stop Refusing To Mourn Mark Salling, He Was Mentally Ill And We Ignorantly Ignored It

This morning, Mark Salling was found dead in an apparent suicide near a little league baseball field. The actor, whose resume includes playing Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the Fox series "Glee" for more than six years, was reportedly found hanged and dead in Sunland, California.

The catch?

Some fans aren't mourning his loss after he was accused, pleaded guilty to and arrested for child pornography.

New York-based actress Rachel Leishman voiced what some people were too afraid to say in a tweet from early afternoon on Tuesday: "Suicide is never the answer but please remember what Mark Salling was convicted of before you share a 'rest in peace' message."


Salling, who was convicted twice back in January of 2016 for pornography charges, was about to start his seven years in jail at

He was also sued by his ex-girlfriend, Roxanne Gorzela, for reported sexual battery charges in January of 2013.

The actor, who made inexcusable and unforgivable mistakes, claimed to have found a strong and "personal relationship with Jesus Christ" after his arrest was made public. Though shortly after he made this statement, he was found with slit wrists in an attempt to commit suicide. This was in August.

How could we have let Mark Salling, who was clearly in distress and having mental health issues, commit suicide?

His doctor sent him to rehab for psychological issues, but rehab was clearly not enough. Despite everything he was accused of, he is a human just like the rest of us. He deserved care, medical attention and our prayers.

The simple thought of people refusing to mourn the death of Salling is heartbreaking — we saw all the signs of mental illness (and read about them as they were released by TMZ) but refused to give him the help he clearly needed.

The possession of child pornography is never OK and whoever does, in fact, possess it needs psychological aid. Especially when the accused has more than a few photos of underage children (Salling had 50,000+ photos in his possession), we should be issuing months of guided mental care.

No stable person would want photographs of young children naked in their possession. Salling was clearly unstable and no one did anything about it until he harmed himself, and by then, it was too late.

Mark Salling should have been sent to a rehabilitation center long before he slit his wrists. He should have been sent when he was accused of sexual battery. If not then, then the first time he was found with child pornography. If not then, then the second time he was found with child pornography.

No, we waited until he physically harmed himself to get him help. Everything else was swept under the table.

If he had gotten help back in 2013 and received coaching from a trained professional, maybe Salling never would have accumulated the photos of those underage girls. Twice. Maybe he never would have slit his wrists.

If Salling had gotten psychiatric help in 2013, he might have still been here with us today.

Stop refusing to mourn him and his family. Yes, he did something very wrong and no one can ever refute that, but he was human like the rest of us and he deserved to get care. He did not deserve death.

Rest in peace, Mark Salling. You will be missed.

If you or someone you know is in need of care or contemplating self-harm or suicide, please call one of the following numbers:

Suicide hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Sexual assault hotline: 1-800-656-4673

Family violence hotline: 1-800-313-1310

Grief/loss hotline: 1-800-395-5755

LGBTQIA+ hotline: 1-888-843-4564

Drug abuse hotline: 1-800-662-4357

Self-harm hotline: 1-800-366-8288

Domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233

You are never alone.

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