Glee star, Mark Salling, was found dead near his home in northern Los Angeles on Tuesday. The multi-talented actor went through a rapid decline in his career and personal life in recent years. At the time of his death, Mark Salling’s net worth was estimated to be $100,000. We’ve got all the details here.
The cast and fans of Glee are mourning the loss of another one of the show’s stars. Mark Salling passed away on January 30, with reports speculating on a possible suicide. Once a rising star in Hollywood, his life took a turn for the worse following child pornography charges, as a search warrant found over 50,000 images of child porn on his computer. He passed away a few weeks before his sentence hearing. Mark Salling’s modest net worth of $100,000 is evidence of this former star’s downfall.
How Much Was Mark Salling Worth?
- Born on August 17, 1982, in Dallas, Texas, Salling was initially home-schooled. In high school, he was part of the wrestling team and was classmates with musician, St. Vincent.
- After graduating high school, he attended the Los Angeles Music Academy College of Music in Pasadena, California. He also learned the guitar and gave guitar lessons to earn a living.
- He initially started as a musician. He played the piano, guitar, bass guitar, and drums. He wrote, produced, and sang his own songs.
- Salling released his debut album, Smoke Signals (2008) under the stage name, Jericho.
- He followed it with Pipe Dreams (2010) under his own label, Pipe Dreams Records, in collaboration with Fontana Distribution.
- While working as a guitar teacher, he took on occasional acting jobs. One of his earliest gigs was in Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (1996) and The Graveyard (2008).
- His breakthrough role came in the Fox musical hit, Glee. As Noah Puckerman, he was initially a regular cast member but was reduced to a recurring guest star in season 5.
- Together with the Glee cast, he released cover versions of various hit songs and was featured on the soundtrack albums.
- Mark Salling’s salary on Glee was not revealed, but the cast is estimated to have earned up to $80,000 per episode. Jane Lynch was the highest-paid cast member with an $80,000 paycheck.
Here’s how Mark Salling compared to his Glee castmates:
| Mark Salling’s Net Worth | $100,000 |
| Lea Michele | $12.0 million (120 times smaller) |
| Matthew Morrison | $10.0 million (100 times smaller) |
| Jane Lynch | $16.0 million (160 times smaller) |
| Chris Colfer | $8.0 million (80 times smaller) |
| Darren Criss | $3.5 million (35 times smaller) |
| Dianna Agron | $4.0 million (40 times smaller) |
| Naya Rivera | $5.0 million (50 times smaller) |
| Amber Riley | $2.0 million (20 times smaller) |
| Heather Morris | $4.0 million (40 times smaller) |
| Cory Monteith | $2.0 million (20 times smaller) |
Mark Salling’s Legal Issues
- Though Mark Salling earned a sizeable net worth due to his role on Glee, his run-ins with the law impacted his wealth. He became a disgraced actor and the offers dried up.
- An ex-girlfriend of his, Roxanne Gorzela, accused Salling of sexual battery in 2013. He denied the charges and sued her for defamation. The case was settled out of court. Salling was ordered to pay $2.7 million to Gorzela.
- He was arrested in 2015 for possession of child pornography. The charges got him replaced by Brigitte Nielsen in Adi Shankar’s Gods and Secrets.
- He posted bail of $20,000. His family revealed that he isolated himself following the charges and kept a low profile.
- He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in September 2017 and had to register as a sex offender, enter a treatment program, abide by restrictions on where he could live, and not have any communication with a minor, among other conditions.
- The plea deal proposed four to seven years in prison, and 20 years of supervised release. He would also have to pay $50,000 to each of his victims who sought restitution.
- His sentencing date was set for March 2018. However, the actor passed away on January 30.