‘Power Ranger’ Jason D. Frank dead at age 49
Actor portrayed teen saving Earth from evil in ’90s show
NEW YORK — Jason David Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver on the 1990s children’s series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died, according to a statement from his manager, Justine Hunt.
Hunt did not name the cause of death or say when the 49-year-old died, but asked for “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,” wrote on Instagram that he couldn’t believe it.
“My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family,” he wrote.
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” about five teenagers deputized to save Earth from evil, debuted on Fox in 1993 and went on to become a pop-culture phenomenon.
Early in the first season, Frank’s Tommy Oliver was first seen as a villain, brainwashed by Rita Repulsa. But soon after, he was inducted into the group as the Green Ranger and became one of the most popular characters on the show.
Though his role wasn’t intended to be permanent, Frank was later brought back as the White Ranger and the leader of the team.
Across spinoff TV series, Frank returned as other rangers as well, including Red Zeo Ranger, Red Turbo Ranger and Black Dino Ranger. 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.”
A practitioner of martial arts, Frank fought in several mixed martial arts bouts in 2009-10.
TMZ earlier reported that Frank’s second wife, Tammie Frank, filed for divorce from him in August. Frank is survived by four children — one from his marriage to Tammie Frank and three from his first marriage to Shawna Frank.