Mark Salling

The 35-year-old actor who played Noah 'Puck' Puckerman in the American hit TV show Glee was found dead at the Los Angeles River in Sunland, near where he lived, TMZ reports.

Salling was awaiting sentencing after entering a guilty plea to possession of child pornography.

He was due to be sentenced in March.

The musical comedy-drama aired on Fox from 2009 until March 2015.

Salling, 35, now faces between four and seven years in prison and has been ordered to pay about $50,000 (£38,000) to each victim.

The actor was arrested in 2015 after a tip off he was in possession of images of children being sexually abused.

Investigators eventually found thousands of images on his laptop and hard drive.

Salling was charged with two counts of receiving and possessing images of child sexual abuse in May 2016, and faced a possible 20 years behind bars.

E! News can confirm the former Glee star will no longer be starring in the mini-seriesGods and Secrets.

Authorities said the 33-year-old agreed to surrender himself on 3 June, when he is expected to appear in a federal court in Los Angeles.

The actor was arrested in December after police seized computer equipment they say contained thousands of images.

If convicted, the charges each carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Police arrested Salling after investigators received a tip he was in possession of images of children being sexually abused. He was released on $20,000 (£18,000) bail and was initially expected to be charged in Los Angeles County court.

Salling, who starred on the hit Fox musical as a regular for four seasons and continued to appear through the series finale this spring, was arrested after the LAPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force obtained a search warrant for his home in Sunland, Calif.