Celebrity
‘Power Rangers’ TV Star Jason David Frank Dead at 49
TV Star Jason David Frank, who portrayed Tommy Oliver, the Green Power Ranger, on the 1990s children’s show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died. He was 49.
Frank’s manager, Justine Hunt, confirmed his death in a statement issued on Sunday. She did not specify the cause of death or the date of death, but she requested the “privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being.”
Walter Emmanuel Jones, the original Black Power Ranger who co-starred with Frank in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” expressed shock on Instagram. “It breaks my heart to lose another member of our special family,” Jones wrote.
Thuy Trang, the first Yellow Power Ranger, died in a car accident in 2001 at 27.
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” about five teenagers tasked with saving the world from evil, premiered on Fox in 1993 and quickly became a pop-culture phenomenon.
Frank’s Tommy Oliver was first portrayed as a villain in the first season, brainwashed by the evil Rita Repulsa. However, he was soon inducted into the group as the Green Ranger and became one of the show’s most popular characters.
Though his role was not intended to be permanent, Frank was later reintroduced as the White Ranger and team leader.
Frank’s Tommy Oliver appeared in several spinoff TV series as other rangers, including the Red Zeo Ranger, the Red Turbo Ranger, and the Black Dino Ranger.
He also appeared in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” and “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie,” as well as a cameo in the 2017 reboot “Power Rangers.”
Frank, a martial arts practitioner, competed in several mixed martial arts bouts in 2009 and 2010.
Tammie Frank, Frank’s second wife, filed for divorce from him in August, according to TMZ. Frank leaves behind four children: one from his marriage to Tammie Frank and three from his first marriage to Shawna Frank.
