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JASON David Frank, the original Green Ranger in the long-running ‘Power Rangers’ franchise, died on November 19 in Texas. He was 49 years old.
His death was confirmed by his manager, Justine Hunt. She requested for 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.”
While no cause of death was give, according to TMZ, “Sources with direct knowledge tell us his death was the result of suicide.”
Though the Power Rangers franchise has persisted over the years and decades in many different iterations, the original series ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ premiered in 1993 on Fox Kids, airing for three seasons and 123 episodes.
It’s been many years, but when the show came to Malaysia sometime soon after that, it was a huge hit, probably because it is heavily inspired by Japanese action shows like Ultraman, and the classic Japanese monster movies like Godzilla, where men in rubber suits would pretend to be monsters battling over scale models of cities. The mixture of martial arts and robots fighting monsters is something almost every child can get behind.
As the Green Ranger, Frank was initially an antagonist to the five multi-coloured heroes. However, he was really under a mind control spell by the villain Rita Repulsa, and once that spell was broken, he joined the good guys. In the process he was transformed into the heroic White Ranger.
Once the show wrapped up, Frank would return to the role of Tommy Oliver in the continuing adventures of new generations of Power Rangers. Already a fan favourite, he became a beloved figure among the fanbase.
Outside of the Power Rangers, Frank was a very successful martial artist, having secured a place in the World Karate Union Hall of Fame and the Black Belt Hall of Fame.
Frank was an eighth degree black belt in karate and was experienced with other styles of martial arts, including Taekwondo, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai. He started learning karate at the age of four and received his first black belt at 12.
Frank is survived by his two sons, Hunter and Jacob, and his two daughters, Skye and Jenna. – The Vibes, November 21, 2022