Jason David Frank, who played the original Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver in the 1990s children’s series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has died. He was 49 years-old. His representative, Justine Hunt, confirmed about his death in a statement on Sunday about his passing to an online portal. Frank was best known for his role as the green power ranger but later turned into the white power ranger and tapped as the new leader of the group. The series was very popular and led to the creation of many spin-off movies, action figures and other toys.
Hunt said in a statement, “Please respect 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. He loved his family, friends and fans very much. He will truly be missed.” A cause of death wasn’t immediately released, though multiple reports indicated that he died by suicide. Frank's agent Brian Butler-Au shared an Instagram post in which he wrote that the actor was depressed and hinted that he died by suicide as he advised people to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
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Frank starred in 123 episodes in the series as one of the leading cast due to his popularity with the fans. Walter Emanuel Jones, the original Black Power Ranger who co-starred with Frank in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, wrote a tribute on Instagram and wrote, “My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family.”
Frank was a mixed martial artist and was trained in many disciplines including Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and fought professionally from 2008 to 2010. He also played him in the films Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and made a cameo in the 2017 reboot Power Rangers. The online portal reported that Frank’s second wife, Tammie Frank had filed for divorce from him in August. The actor is survived by his four children- one from his marriage with Tammie Frank and three from his first marriage to Shawna Frank.
(Source: TMZ/The Guardian)
