Retired drama teacher David Bruce, 68, was found dead from an apparent suicide at his home in Anaheim, California, on the 11th day of his child molestation trial

A retired Southern California drama teacher charged with molesting five male students died of an apparent suicide Wednesday before closing arguments in his trial.

David Michael Bruce, 68, was found dead in his home in an unincorporated area of Anaheim south of Los Angeles.

'He was discovered by a friend or another individual, and they called law enforcement,' Orange County sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.

His death was being investigated as a suicide pending an autopsy, she said.

Bruce, who was free on bond, failed to show up to court for closing arguments on the 11th day of his molestation trial.

He had faced a possible life sentence if convicted, but the county district attorney's office dismissed the case because of his death.

Bruce was the drama teacher at Sycamore Junior High School in Anaheim from 1981 until his retirement in 2010. He stayed on as a substitute teacher at the school until 2013.

Bruce was accused of rubbing the buttocks and touching the genitals of five male students at Sycamore Junior High School (pictured) between 1996-2011

Prosecutors alleged that he committed lewd acts with five boys over 15 years beginning in 1996, including touching the victims' genitals and buttocks, and having oral sex with at least one minor.

Bruce, who suffered from a facial disfigurement, claimed that he had Hollywood connections and could help the students get work in show business, prosecutors said.

Bruce would take boys to his home and to tapings at Los Angeles studios. On the pretense of giving them massages, Bruce allegedly moved on to 'rubbing, touching and spanking the buttocks' of the victims, Deputy District Attorney Rick Zimmer said in opening statements.

The teacher claimed that he had Hollywood connections and could help the students get show business gigs

'The defendant basically has an obsession with male buttocks,' Zimmer told jurors earlier in the trial.

One of the victims was a special education student whom Bruce allegedly plied with gifts, including an iPod and a skateboard, according to reporting by City News Service via Orange County Register.

After the sister of another alleged victim contacted the Anaheim police about the molestation allegations, Bruce was arrested on September 8, 2015, and charged with eight felony counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14 and two felony counts of lewd acts on a child age 14 or 15.

He was quickly released on $100,000 bail.

After more victims came forward, Bruce was re-arrested on September 30 and later released on $1million bond.

Bruce's defense attorney, Sal Ciulla, had argued that the boys were either fantasizing or were lying and hoped to cash in on civil lawsuits. Three had sued Bruce and the Anaheim Union High School District.