Iconic Power Rangers actor Jason David Frank, known for portraying the green and white rangers, has died at the age of 49. Frank passed away in his home in Texas on Sunday, according to his representative, Justine Hunt. Sources told TMZ that the actor's death was a suicide, though an official cause of death has not been made public.
Frank rose to fame for his portrayal of Tommy Oliver in the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” TV series that ran from 1993 to 1996. Initially, he donned the suit of the Green Ranger, before swapping to the White Ranger later in the series.
After the original run, his character appeared in other iterations of the Power Rangers franchise, as well as several movies set in the universe. All in all, Frank appeared in over 200 episodes of the series, according to IMDb.
In 2017, the actor and mixed martial artist made a cameo in the “Power Rangers” reboot and, a year after that, made a final appearance as Tommy Oliver in the tenth episode of “Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel.”
His last movie appearance is set to be the upcoming Power Rangers-inspired “Legend of the White Dragon,” currently in production.
Aside from starring in Power Rangers, Frank was also a martial arts enthusiast. He held a black belt in karate, judo and taekwondo and had an undefeated record of 4-0 in his amateur MMA career before making a professional UFC debut in 2010, which he also won. Frank also opened up a martial arts studio in Houston called Rising Sun Karate, where he trained students in his own fighting style called Toso Kune Do, or Way of the Fighting Fist.
“Can’t believe it…. RIP Jason David Frank.,” wrote Walter Jones, who portrayed the black power ranger alongside Frank. “My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family.”
Frank is survived by his four children.