Mark Salling's Family ‘Devastated’ As Mom Continues To Struggle With Son's Dark Past

Mark Salling committed suicide by hanging, this Tuesday, January 30, at age 35. Now, a source close to the family has told reporters that they are absolutely “devastated” and still in shock over the beloved star’s gruesome death.

“His parents are doing as well as anyone in this situation can do. They’re from Texas and are very church-driven,” a source told PEOPLE.

“Mark’s mom had a hard time even grasping the reality of his dark past, so accepting his death — she’s a mess,” the source added.

As RadarOnline.com readers know, Salling was awaiting sentencing on his child porn scandal. He previously pled guilty to possession of the inappropriate sexual images, and was expected to spend 4-7 years behind bars.

“He grew up in a really loving and supportive home with incredible parents,” a Salling family told the publication, adding that he had a “humble” and normal childhood.

“He had a great relationship with his parents but was also particularly close with his grandmother, whom he loved dearly. They wanted the best for him and wanted to make sure he was pursuing his dreams and being responsible.”

After Salling’s death, a former pal of the singer/actor told RadarOnline.com that he confessed he was “not doing okay” after his first suicide attempt in 2017. She added that she wished he would have gotten help for his mental health problems before deciding to take his own life.

“His loved ones — actual loved ones — were absolutely shocked,” the insider told PEOPLE. “In the last few years, we had very little contact. When you’re living against your own morals or what you know to be right, you tend to avoid people who will hold up mirrors.”

As RadarOnline.com reported, Salling’s lawyer claimed that his client was “doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment.”

“It’s clear he was dealing with demons himself,” in his tragic last years, continued the family source to PEOPLE. “The problem doesn’t live in the existence of demons or pain or sexual appetites that began to skew as time went on. The inherent problem is that he did not seek help or have someone close enough to him willing to call it out.”

One of Mark Salling’s greatest demons, arose at the time of Glee costar Cory Monteith’s OD death, an ex-pal of the star told RadarOnline.com. “His personality changed just from happy to just completely aggressive and angry,” the friend claimed.

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