November 21, 2022, 02:38 AM
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Jason David Frank, best known as Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver of "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" fame, has died at age 49.
TMZ confirmed his death on Nov. 20.
The actor and mixed martial artist starred in the wildly popular children's series that first hit TV screens in 1993.
He was best known as Tommy Oliver in the long-running Power Rangers franchise.
A cause of death was not officially released.
However, TMZ corroborated the news and attributed the cause to suicide.
Popular character
The Power Rangers series was Frank's acting debut, Gizmodo reported.
He would serve as the Green and later White Ranger for the original "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" series.
He was only meant to appear in 14 episodes, but he became so popular that he would continue to play Tommy in other Power Rangers seasons, Power Rangers Zeo, Turbo (Red), and Dino Thunder (Black), Gizmodo added.
He also made appearances in anniversary specials.
Frank was one of the leads for three seasons and appeared in 123 episodes, TMZ reported.
Outside of the show that made him popular, Frank was also in an episode of "We Bare Bears" where he played the Silver Bear, a nod to his superhero role.
News of passing by friend
News of Frank's passing was initially made public by his personal trainer and close friend, Mike Bronzoulis, according to Gizmodo.
Bronzoulis called Frank his "brother from another mother" in a Facebook tribute.Bronzoulis wrote: "RIP my brother from another mother Jason David Frank. I'm still in shock. I'm feeling terrible he called left me a message and I took to [sic] long. Jason was a good friend to me and I will miss him. Love n prayers for his wife Tammie and their kids, I prey [sic] that God gets yall through this difficult time."
A statement by a representative of Frank read: "Unfortunately, it is true. 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 be truly missed."
Tributes
Those who knew Frank paid tribute online.
Walter Emmanuel Jones, the original Black Power Ranger who co-starred with Frank in the hit TV series, took to Instagram to express his sadness.
"Can’t believe it... RIP Jason David Frank. My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family," Jones wrote.
He shared a photo of Frank and him on the red carpet.
Frank's final project
2023 will mark the 30th anniversary of the "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers".
Frank had previously stated he had no interest in participating in any sort of reboot.
He went as far as deny rumors of a reboot via a Facebook livestream.
He also stated that he doesn't want to cover his tattoos and that he had done enough for the franchise, HypeBeast reported in May 2022.
Frank had been working on a new project, "Legend of the White Dragon", before his passing.
In 2020, he announced the Kickstarter for his short film.
It later expanded into a full feature film.
Thuy Trang, the original Yellow Power Ranger, died in a car accident in 2001.
Top photos via Everett Collection & Hasbro
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