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Jason David Frank, an actor and mixed martial artist best known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has died at age 49, as first reported by TMZ (via Gizmodo). Fellow Power Rangers stars Walter Jones, Blake Foster, and Amy Jo Johnson have since confirmed his death on Instagram.
Born on September 4th, 1973, Frank originally starred as the Green Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which ran from 1993 to 1996, before swapping to the White Ranger during its second season. His character popped up in other Power Ranger seasons as well, including Wild Force, Turbo, Zeo, Dino Thunder, Megaforce, and HyperForce. In 2017, Frank made a cameo in the Power Rangers reboot before making a final appearance in episode 10 of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel one year later.
Frank’s legacy stretches beyond the Power Rangers franchise, though. He made his UFC debut in 2010, and, more recently, voiced the “Silver Bear” in the Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears, a role paying homage to his Power Ranger past. In 2020, Frank launched a Kickstarter campaign for his film Legend of the White Dragon. The film is currently in production and is expected to premiere next year.
Correction, 5:15PM ET: A previous version of the article stated Frank reprised his role in the 2017 Power Ranger reboot when it was a cameo. We regret the error.
Update, 5:56PM ET: Updated to add Amy Jo Johnson’s Instagram post.
wazup.