R.I.P. Jason David Frank (1973-2022)

[3ngag3]

According to his personal trainer via Facebook, Jason David Frank has passed away. Rumors are saying that he committed suicide.

If you know anything about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you know who this person is. I grew up watching him through his various incarnations as a Power Ranger and as a kid, I thought he was one of the most awesome TV characters ever.

I'm in disbelief that he is gone. Hug your loved ones if they need it. Rest in Peace.

 

[Perla Magica]

I used to watch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and I'm shocked that one of the actors passed away today. Shocking and sad news.

 

[Pooky]

So far this news story has only been reported on this Facebook post. Not saying it's a hoax, but there's still some hope that it might be.

 

[Fone Bone]

Confirmation. Damn it.

Rep Confirms Power Ranger Jason David Frank Has Died

The internet it swirling with rumours that Power Rangers star Jason David Frank, who played Tommy Oliver, has sadly died.

geekireland.com

I rag on Power Rangers all the time but knowing there would be occasional appearances by Tommy Oliver was the only reason I watched it. Frank was literally the only good thing on the show. Scratch that. Tommy was a GREAT thing.

 

[Hanshotfirst1138]

My childhood hero. I spent half of my youth in green. Man, I’ll miss him .

 

[ShadowBlinky]

The Green Ranger is (was) my favorite.

 

[Frontier]

I...I'm just shocked. Honestly and genuinely shocked. I can barely even process this coming so soon after Kevin Conroy's death.

Power Rangers was such a huge part of my childhood and shaping me as a person, watching season after season, but the saga of Tommy Oliver and his journey and how that impacted the history of the franchise always kept me engrossed and he was part of so many memorable moments of the franchise and seemed to love and care for the show and the fans so much.

RIP Tommy. RIP Jason David Frank.

 

[Light Lucario]

This is incredibly tragic news. I was shocked to see this thread's title when I checked the site this morning. I only vaguely remember watching the original Might Morphing Power Rangers seasons, but I do remember liking Tommy. He was the most popular character, but I think I remember thinking that he was cool. He was why I decided to watch the Dino Thunder season despite not really keeping up with the franchise by that point. I would catch reruns on ABC Family back in the day for the heck of it though. My only other memory from watching those early seasons was playing with a Megazord figure.

From what I've seen, Jason David Frank seemed pretty nice. He seemed to enjoy appearing on Power Rangers whenever he could and he enjoyed spending time with fans too. I watched a video where he talked about meeting up with fans just about a year ago. I remember reading that he had his own project in the works and there were rumors that maybe he wouldn't come back to Power Rangers after Hasbro bought the franchise, although I don't know if that was confirmed. He was so young, not even fifty yet, and he had children, which makes this even more tragic. The fact that multiple people who contributed to shows from my childhood have passed away this year really stings to put it lightly.

I hope that Jason David Frank is at peace and his family and friends will be okay.

 

[Spideyzilla]

WHAT???? God, JDF and Conroy in such quick succession. I’m without words. RIP.

 

[Theagames10]

Rest in Peace to Jason David Frank.

He will always be the best Power Ranger ever, even if he had a mixed reputation within the fandom.

You will forever be in our hearts as Tommy Oliver, JDF.

 

[Rick Jones]

How the heck is this real? I hate this so much right now.

I always get a little miffed that I lost the autograph I got at a signing in Harlem as a kid, and now that is a forever irreplaceable memory. Tommy Oliver was like the Kobe Bryant franchise player of the Power Rangers and it really, really sucks to see him gone so soon. I would joke with a buddy about being a Jason guy or a Tommy guy and I usually side with being a Jason guy but of course, I loved Tommy. You can't love Power Rangers without loving Tommy. Just the other day, I was randomly discussing Sweet Valley High and remembered JDF's run as one of the twin's boyfriends. This is an inevitable part of life but he was still way too young for this to be reality right now.

He will be missed for sure.

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[ThePharaohZ]

R.I.P Jason David Frank. I had the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on DVD during my childhood and always thought that Tommy Oliver was the coolest one.

 

[the greenman]

Yes, grew up on Power Rangers as a teen. This and Conroy has me going down memory lane. Silly show, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

R.I.P. Mr. JDF (GREEN/WHITE RANGER FOREVER)

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[AdrenalineRush1996]

I'm deeply saddened to hear about this tragic news since Tommy was responsible for turning the series into a household name and I'd like to send my condolences to his family and friends including those who worked with him on the show. He'll sadly be missed.

 

[nick p]

It's so sad As a kid in the 90s I can't tell you how much of a iconic character the Green Ranger was for a lot of us

 

[Yojimbo]

Tragic deaths this month. I grew watching Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Green Ranger. White Ranger. Loved both of those eras. I heard he kept making guest appearances over the decades but finally retired the role this year. Feel bad for his ex-wives and children. I think in some of the articles they mention his daughter just graduated high school. So saddening but it's even worse that he was going through so much on the inside leading up to this. RIP.

 

[dumbfoolkid5]

RIP, Tommy

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[MegaJack]

49 is pretty young. People keep dying younger, I feel.

 

[the greenman]

49 is pretty young. People keep dying younger, I feel.

Yeah, I understand from illness; but. . .

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[Pooky]

My hopes that this was a hoax became less and less likely throughout the day until it became very, very clear it wasn't a hoax at all.

Like many 90s kids, I thought he was just about the coolest guy I'd ever seen when he arrived on the scene. I'd like to say he inspired me to take up Martial Arts or something equally cool, but I wasn't cut out for that, but he did inspire me to start wearing green tank tops.

Not to make this all about me, but in 1994 I 7 years old and was in the last year of my first school, my best friend was a boy named Sam and my on screen hero was Tommy Oliver. By the end of 1995 I was attending a completely unrelated school with none of my previous schoolmates, and had (I'm pretty sure) stopped watching Power Rangers. I occasionally caught Power Rangers here and there throughout the years since (watched Dino Thunder on Netflix last year; pretty good!), and within a couple of years I lost contact with Sam. A couple of weeks ago I found out unbeknownst to me Sam died before he turned 30, and now this. So I'm now looking back on that era on my life with a sadness that may never truly fade.

But again, this isn't about me. R.I.P. Jason, and my thoughts are with your family, friends, and the colleagues and fans that worked alongside you or followed you over the past 30 years.