Power Rangers fame Jason David Frank passes away at 49

Actor Jason David Frank, who played the role of Tommy Oliver and became the very first Green Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, recently passed away at 49 years of age, as reported by TMZ. Jason David Frank's representative, Justine Hunt, revealed that the actor died in Texas.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the first show of the franchise, which remains active to this day. As such, Jason David Frank was popular among the fans, who mourned his death on social media.

Jason David Frank's cause of death has not been revealed yet

Sources who claimed to have direct knowledge of his death told the outlet that he died of suicide. However, the official word from the authorities handling the matter is yet to come. Justine Hunt also told the outlet that the actor loved his close ones very much.

"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."

Jason David Frank's demise comes 21 years after his co-star Thuy Trang passed away. Trang died in a car accident in 2001.

Jason David Frank (Image via Getty)

---

Life and career of Jason David Frank

Frank was one of the very first Power Rangers ever on the small screen. He was also a mixed martial artist, which he showcased in every action scene in almost all the projects he worked on.

He even challenged AEW superstar CM Punk in 2016 to a fight. He was trained in the arts of Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu among others. The actor was inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame in 2003, and he also had a professional fighting streak from 2008 to 2010. He invented his own style of fighting called Toso Kune Do (Way of the Fighting Fist).

In Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Frank's character didn't immediately show his good side. Named Tommy Oliver, he started off as an opposing force for the Rangers but went through a full change of heart with time.

He suffered through a power loss but eventually became the White Ranger and took on the role of leading the team. The Power Rangers franchise is adapted from the BOOM! Studios comic franchise of the same name.

Jason David Frank remained in a leading role throughout the three-season run of the show, appearing in 123 episodes. He took on the role of Tommy Oliver again in other subsequent shows.

He took on the role of guiding other Power Ranger teams in shows such as Power Rangers: 'Wild Force,' 'Turbo,' 'Zeo,' 'Dino Thunder,' 'Megaforce,' 'Ninja Steel,' 'HyperForce,' and more. Throughout his long Power Rangers run, he's taken on the mantle of Red Ranger, Black Ranger, and Green Ranger.