Who Died from the Show Glee

Who Died from the Show Gleeにまつわる興味深い視点を分かりやすく発信ます。

We tend to focus on the leads, but Glee had a whole chorus of faces that appeared in the background. And some of those faces have left us too. Mark Salling, who played Puck, the bad-boy with the guitar, died by suicide in 2018 after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. It’s a complicated, dark chapter that leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

You might ask, “Why even mention him?” Because Glee is a tapestry of complicated humans. We can honor the joy Puck brought us in songs like “Sweet Caroline” while acknowledging the devastating reality of the actor behind the mohawk. It’s an honest, messy reflection of life itself.

And then there’s tiny Lily van der Velde, the adorable actress who played Young Santana in flashbacks. She passed away in 2026 from a brain tumor at only seven years old. It’s a heartbreaking reminder that joy and pain share the same stage.

All of the Glee stars who have died, and there are 13 of them

Why We Should Still Care, Years Later

Look, I know we’re not in 2010 anymore. The skinny jeans have been replaced, and nobody is belting show tunes in the cafeteria. But here’s the thing: Glee was about a bunch of misfits who found their family in a choir room. We cared about these actors because they represented our own high school hopes and heartbreaks.

When you walk past your old high school gym, or hear a Journey song on the radio, don’t just think of the tragedy. Think of the miracle that it happened at all. We got to witness these actors give breathtaking performances. We got to see them win awards, become parents, and chase their dreams.

So, pour yourself a cup of coffee. Hum a few bars of “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” And remember that life, like a good episode of Glee, is full of soaring highs and gut-wrenching lows. The important thing is that we keep singing—for ourselves, and for the ones who can’t sing along anymore.

That’s the real lesson. And that’s something worth streaming all over again.