'Power Rangers' star Jason David Frank dead at 49
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
Jason David Frank, one of the original Power Rangers, has passed away. He was 49.
According to a TMZ report, his representative Justine Hunt said that he died in Texas, with evidence pointing to suicide. He’s survived by his four children: Hunter, Skye, and Jacob from his first marriage, and Jenna from his second.
Frank is famous for his role as Tommy Oliver from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that debuted in 1993, “when he was introduced as one of six crime/monster-fighting superheroes, masked head to toe with kung-fu skills.” He was among the lead stars for about three seasons, which had a total of 123 episodes.
As one of the crowd-favorite Power Rangers, he brought back his iconic character in various adaptions of the live-action superhero TV series later on, such as Wild Force, Turbo, Zeo, Dino Thunder, Megaforce, Ninja Steel, HyperForce, among others.
TMZ said that he was able to use his “onscreen fighting abilities” in real life, having fought as a professional between 2008 and 2010. A professionally trained MMA brawler, Frank also knew how to do other forms of martial arts, including Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Judo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Rest in peace, JDF.
If you think you, your friend, or your family member is considering self-harm or suicide, you may call the National Mental Health Crisis Hotline at 1553 (Luzon-wide, landline toll-free), 0966-351-4518 or 0917-899-USAP (8727) for Globe/TM users, or 0908-639-2672 for Smart users.