Actor and mixed martial artist Jason David Frank passed away at the age of 49 on 19 November, and this tragedy has been met with an outpouring of grief from the Power Rangers fandom. Frank played the Green Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the '90s and now there are calls for the franchise to retire this Ranger out of respect.
This is a content warning for mentions of suicide.
Originally, Frank would have played Tommy Oliver, the alias of the Green Ranger, for only 14 episodes of the show. However, the character was much more popular than the creators anticipated and Frank remained a main cast member for 124 episodes in total, eventually becoming the White Ranger. The actor appeared again as Tommy Oliver in Power Rangers Zeo, and once more in Power Rangers Turbo, and starred in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie towards the end of the 1990s.
Frank's impact on Power Rangers has been palpably felt in the thousands of messages left by fans on his passing. "JDF was constantly, just like Conroy lived as Batman, breathed as being the Ranger and kept it going his entire career," said Reddit user corndogs1001, recalling when they were waiting for an autograph from the actor, then realised how much it cost, and then left the line. Frank remembered they were waiting and found them in the lobby of the convention hall, saying that they could take a photo together.
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“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,” said Justine Hunt, his representative, in a statement to TMZ. “He loved his family, friends and fans very much. He will truly be missed.” Though Frank's cause of death is unconfirmed right now, multiple reports state that he died by suicide.
Out of respect for his influential time as the Green Ranger, it could come to pass that the character is retired. "Grew up watching him. This guy was my hero growing up. R.I.P to the GOAT! Power Rangers should retire the Green Ranger," said one fan. This would be one way to honour Frank's work and reflect the dedication he had for the role over the years.
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There are various resources that can help provide mental health support, including MIND, Samaritans, Safe In Our World and CALM:
0300 123 3393
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Topics: TV And Film, no article matching