Power Rangers legend Jason David Frank dies at 49, TMZ confirms

HOUSTON – Jason David Frank, one of the original members of the Power Rangers has died, TMZ confirmed Sunday. 

Sources close to Frank confirmed to TMZ he passed away from suicide at the age of 49. 

A Houston resident, Frank was well known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, where he made his debut as the green ranger in 1993. 

Initially, Frank’s character was an antagonist to the Power Rangers before becoming a full member of the team, as the white ranger. 

He was arguably the most popular character in the series and ultimately went on to reprise his role as Tommy in subsequent adaptations, playing different colored rangers. 

Frank also had a reputation for being a fan of the franchise, as well as having an approachable demeanor toward his own fans.

Fellow cast members from the original series like Walter Jones, who played Zack, the black ranger, took to social media after hearing about Frank’s tragic passing. 

“Can’t believe it,” Jones said on his Instagram. “RIP Jason David Frank…my heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family.” 

Frank was also known for his fighting skills off-screen, as he trained professionally in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) including Taekwondo, Muy Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In fact, he developed his own martial arts system in 1994, according to his IMDb page, called “Toso Kune Do,” which incorporated several different fighting styles. 

Three of his martial arts schools were set up in Texas and one in California, where Frank was born originally. 

He is survived by his four children and his wife, Tammie. 

This is a developing story and will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.