Jason David Frank, who portrayed Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver in the 1990s children’s television series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has passed away. He was 49.
Sunday, Frank’s manager Justine Hunt released a statement confirming his passing. She did not specify the reason for death or the date he died, but she begged for the privacy of his family and friends as they “come to terms with the loss of such a great human being during this terrible time.”
Walter Emmanuel Jones, the original Black Power Ranger who played alongside Frank in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” expressed his disbelief on Instagram. Jones added, “My heart is broken to have lost another member of our precious family.” In 2001, at age 27, Thuy Trang, who portrayed the first Yellow Power Ranger, died in a car accident.
The Fox television series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” about five youths tasked with protecting the planet from evil, debuted in 1993 and became a cultural sensation.
Early in the first season, Rita Repulsa hypnotized Tommy Oliver, played by Frank, into being a villain. Soon, he was inducted into the squad as the Green Ranger and became one of the show’s most popular characters.
Frank was eventually brought back as the White Ranger and team leader, despite his original job not being intended to be permanent. Frank’s Tommy Oliver resurfaced in spinoff television shows as different rangers, including the Red Zeo Ranger, the Red Turbo Ranger, and the Black Dino Ranger. I
n addition, he portrayed him in the films “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” and “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie” and made a brief appearance in the 2017 revival of “Power Rangers.”