Actor Jason David Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger in the 1990s, is believed to have committed suicide at the age of 49.
According to his representative, Justine Hunt, Frank died in Texas. He was a longtime resident of Houston.
‘Please respect the privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being,’ she told TMZ.
‘He loved his family, friends and fans very much. He will truly be missed.’
The actor’s family has yet to make a statement. He is survived by his four children – Hunter, Jacob, Skye and Jenna.
Frank’s wife, Tammie Frank, to whom he’d been married since 2003, filed for divorce earlier this year after accusing the actor of infidelity. He was previously married to Shawna Frank from 1994 to 2001.
Frank was best known for playing Tommy Oliver on the original run of the ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ show, which debuted in 1993.
Tributes began pouring in for Frank, who many fans called JDF. His former Power Rangers costar Walter Jones (the original Black ranger) led the tributes writing, ‘Can’t believe it …. RIP Jason David Frank. My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family.’
Jones, 51, told People that JDF was ‘an inspiration to so many people. His presence will be dearly missed.’
‘He had a wild sense of humor. We had our share of ups and downs, but I stayed consistent about being an ear if he needed one. My prayers go out to his family and all that will miss him. May he rest in Power,’ he said, telling of Jason’s history as an onset prankster.
Professional wrestler Iron Sheik wrote, ‘RIP JDF YOU THE REAL LEGEND BUBBA I LOVE YOU FOREVER #RIPLEGEND.’
Jason David Frank, best known for his portrayal of the original Green Power Ranger, is believed to have committed suicide over the weekend. He was 49
Frank portrayed many different color Rangers over the years, including Green, White and Red, as he returned to the franchise for a handful of movies
Jason David Frank (second to left) is pictured in a shot from Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
Frank was also a trained martial artist off-screen and fought professionally from 2008-2010
Jason’s wife Tammie Frank (pictured right) had reportedly filed for divorce from the actor earlier this year
He was first introduced as the Green Ranger in Season 1, in which he was positioned as an enemy of the Rangers before harnessing his powers for good. He was initially set for just a 14 episode run, but his character proved to be so popular that the actor was brought back as a full-time Ranger.
When his powers as Green Ranger began to deteriorate, he was turned into White Ranger and went on to become the new leader of the crime and monster-fighting group.
He starred on the children’s show for three seasons, totaling 123 episodes.
He also reprised his role in several Power Rangers movies, in which he portrayed Red Ranger, Black Ranger and Green Ranger again.
Prior to his passing, JDF was dealing with issues on the home front. His wife of nearly two decades, Tammie Frank, with whom he shares an 18-year-old daughter, filed for divorce earlier this year after accusing him of adultery.
Tammie, 57, listed infidelity on her divorce documents filed earlier this year. She also sought their Texas home and car in the split. She listed the date of their separation of July 1 of this year.
She added that the marriage was no longer functioning due to discord and conflict between them and said she could no longer live with Jason because of his cruel treatment toward her.
Jason was reportedly served the divorce papers while at a Comic Con event in Texas.
Like Jason, Tammie was trained in martial arts and served as a producer and star of the show My Morphin Life, a reality show that delivered an inside look into the couples’ life together.
Hateful comments have begun populating Tammie’s social media pages as fans of JDF’s blame her for his death.
‘You killed him b****,’ wrote one user.
‘Funny you claimed he cheated on you and was cruel to you but ya want all his stuff,’ wrote another.
Several months ago, Tammie marked the one-year anniversary of the loss of her adult daughter Shayla Frank.
Frank was trained in MMA fighting, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo and a handful of other martial arts. He fought professionally from 2008-2010.
In Houston, he opened a training studio called Rising Sun Karate, where he taught Toso Kune Do, which translates to Way of the Fighting Fist. The studio taught a style of martial art created by Frank, who had for years studied various methods of self-defense.
Frank’s final film, Legend of the White Dragon, is due out next year. He revealed earlier this year that he was retiring from the Power Rangers franchise.
Frank (right) made frequent martial-arts and Power Rangers-related appearances at conventions across the country. He is pictured above during a display at the Wizard World Austin Comic Con in 2013
Frank (third from left) pictured with the original cast of the children’s show, from left to right David Yost, Thuy Trang, Jason David Frank, Austin St. John, Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Jones
Several years ago, Frank was kicked out of a Power Rangers premier in Los Angeles, when he attempted to record his cameo appearance in the film.
The then-43-year-old actor streamed his complaints about the experience to his 900,000 followers on Facebook Live.
‘No one said that we couldn’t have videos, first of all,’ he told fans, adding that he was followed out of the theater and into the bathroom by security guards who wanted to check what he had recorded on his iPhone.
‘They treated me pretty bad,’ he said.
JDF and wife Tammie Frank on Labor Day 2021. Tammie filed for divorce in 2022 after 19 years of marriage to Frank. She accused the actor and mixed martial artist of infidelity
Jenna Frank, who JDF shared with Tammie, turned 18 in June and is attempting to follow her father’s footsteps into the entertainment industry. She will also make an appearance in Legend of the White Dragon
Frank was reportedly served divorce papers at a Comic Con convention in Texas earlier this year. Tammie was petitioning the court for the majority of the couple’s assets
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, help is available by dialing 988, texting ‘STRENGTH’ to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or going to 988lifeline.org to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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