Actor and mixed martial artist Jason David Frank, who played the original Green Ranger on the popular “Power Rangers” television franchise, has died, a representative said Sunday.
Frank, 49, starred as Tommy Oliver in the long-running superhero series that first aired in 1993. Although he originally wore the Green Ranger uniform, he also played the White Ranger, Red Ranger and the Black Ranger in the film. franchise. .
“We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and friends during this terrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being,” a representative said in a statement Sunday. “He loved his family, friends and fans very much. We will miss him very much.”
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Further details about his death were not immediately released.
The original cast of the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” series included Austin St. John, who played the Red Ranger; Walter Emmanuel Jones, who played the Black Ranger; Amy Jo Johnson as the Pink Ranger; David Yost as the Blue Ranger; and Thuy Trang, who played the Yellow Ranger. Trang died in a car accident in 2001 at the age of 27.
Jones was among those expressing condolences on social media on Sunday.
“My heart is saddened by the loss of another member of our special family,” she wrote.
Frank held an eighth degree black belt – two degrees below the highest degree of 10 – and founded his own style of martial arts called Toso Kune Do. This style was based on the teachings of American martial arts masters, including Bruce Lee and Ed Parker, according to a website for his martial arts school.
Philip Lewis contributed reporting.
