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NEW YORK (AP) — Jason David Frank, who played green power ranger Tommy Oliver on the 1990s children’s series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died. He was 49 years old.
Frank’s manager, Justine Hunt, said in a statement Sunday that Frank had passed away. She did not say a cause of death or when he passed away, but asked that “his family and friends remain private at a horrific time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being.”
Walter Emmanuel Jones, the original Black Power Ranger who co-starred with Frank on “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” wrote on Instagram that he couldn’t believe it. “My heart is sad to lose another member of our special family,” Jones wrote. Thuy Trang, who played the original Yellow Power Ranger, died in a car accident in 2001 at the age of 27.
“Mighty MorphinPower Rangers,” about five teenagers tasked with saving the planet from evil, debuted on Fox in 1993 and went on to become a pop culture phenomenon. Early in the first season, Tommy Oliver, played by Frank, was first seen as a villain by the villainous Rita Repulsa. But soon after, he joined the group as the Green Ranger and became one of the most popular characters on the show.
While his role wasn’t intended to be permanent, Frank was later brought back as White Ranger and leader of the team. In the spin-off series, Frank’s Tommy Oliver also returns as other Rangers, including the Red Zeo Ranger, Red Turbo Ranger and Black Dino Ranger. He also played him in the films “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie” and “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie” and made a cameo in the 2017 reboot “Power Rangers”.
A martial arts practitioner, Frank competed in several mixed martial arts competitions in 2009 and 2010.
TMZ earlier reported that Frank’s second wife, Tammie Frank, had filed for divorce in August. Frank is survived by four children. One from his marriage to Tammie Frank and three from his first marriage to Shawna Frank.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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