Twitter is a buzz with news of Jason David Frank. Earlier this morning, close friend and fellow martial artist Mike Bronzoulis, reported his passing. TMZ has since confirmed the actor’s passing by suicide; he was 49.

Frank is most well known by fans around the world as Tommy Oliver, the original Green Power Ranger from the hit 90’s series Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Tommy was originally introduced as a new student to Angel Grove High School, who was captured by the evil Rita Repulsa and enchanted to be her servant. He was granted the iconic Green Ranger outfit and tasked to be a foe of the Power Rangers, his iconic weapons being the Dragon Dagger and the Sword of Darkness.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Tommy would get his redemption, though, when the Rangers destroy the Sword of Darkness and free Tommy from Rita’s spell. But Tommy is later forced to sacrifice his Ranger abilities in order to save the team. After a short break, he returns to the Rangers in an all-new White Ranger outfit, and takes his place as the new team leader.

Tommy Oliver (and Jason David Frank) would return to the Power Rangers franchise throughout the years. Frank would reprise his role numerous times, such as Power Rangers Wild Force, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Super Megaforce, and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel. Frank also played a small cameo in the 2017 Power Rangers film as a citizen of Angel Grove. In 2022, he announced his retirement from the franchise.

The Legacy of Jason David Frank

Outside of his career with the Power Rangers, Frank was also a mixed martial artist. He was a black belt in Wado-ryu Karate, Taekwondo, Judo, purple belt in Brazilian Jui-jitsu, and an 8th Dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. In 2003, he was inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame. He even developed his own hybrid blend of American Karate called Toso Kune Do. He also participated in various MMA matches. He even broke the Guinness World Record for “Most Pine Boards Broke In Freefall” in 2013.

While his martial arts pulled at his attention, Frank continued to return to the studios. Along with his many returns as Tommy, Frank would also play as himself in the web series “My Morphing Life.” The actor would also dip into voice acting, such as the Emissary in Transformers: Titans Return, and a small cameo in the Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears. The latter being a small, but fun homage to sentai heroes like Power Rangers.

While his career flourished in the ring, he had problems outside of it. Earlier this year, TMZ reported that Frank’s wife, Tammie, had filed for divorce.

Frank’s most recent role was the starring role in the Kickstarter-funded movie, Legend of the White Dragon. The film also pays homage to sentai heroes, particularly Power Rangers, and features other alumni of the series as cast members such as Ciara Hanna (Power Rangers Megaforce) and Jason Faunt (Power Rangers Time Force). The Kickstart project ended pulling in a whopping $500,000, meaning that the final stretch goal was achieved and the feature film was in sight. Currently, there is no news as to the state of the project, and what Frank’s passing will mean for its future.

While Power Rangers was a menace to parents across the country, to the children of the 90s they were as important as Batman or Spider-Man. Tommy Oliver will live on in the hearts of fans forever as a symbol of redemption and perseverance, an achievement that would have been impossible without Jason David Frank.