The Tragic Story of "Power Rangers" Star Jason David Frank Victoria EdelJanuary 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM 0 Jason David Frank in 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' (left); Jason David Frank in January 2020 (right) Saban Entertainment/Courtesy Everett; Anna Pocaro/IndieWire/Penske Media via Getty Jason David Frank found success as Tommy Oliver, the Green and then White Ranger, on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Frank died by suicide in 2022 at the age of 49 Frank's loved ones spoke out about his mental health struggles after his death Jason David Frank made millions of fans when he starred as Tommy Oliver o...
- - The Tragic Story of "Power Rangers" Star Jason David Frank
Victoria EdelJanuary 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM
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Jason David Frank in 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' (left); Jason David Frank in January 2020 (right)
Saban Entertainment/Courtesy Everett; Anna Pocaro/IndieWire/Penske Media via Getty
Jason David Frank found success as Tommy Oliver, the Green and then White Ranger, on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Frank died by suicide in 2022 at the age of 49
Frank's loved ones spoke out about his mental health struggles after his death
Jason David Frank made millions of fans when he starred as Tommy Oliver on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The very first Power Rangers series, it ran from 1993 to 1996. Jason's Tommy was the original Green Ranger, fighting alongside the other Rangers. But after he's brainwashed by the villainous Rita Repulsa (and freed by his friends), he becomes a new Ranger: the White Ranger.
Jason played Tommy in almost all his appearances across the Power Ranger franchise, including in Power Rangers Zeo, Turbo and Dino Thunder.
Sadly, Jason died on Nov. 19, 2022, at the age of 49. His wife Tammie Frank revealed that he died by suicide.
Tammie explained in a statement at the time that she "had no idea that Jason was thinking of ending things." The couple had recently separated after the death of her daughter Shayla, who Jason had helped raise. "Between losing her and helping raise her baby son, Jason and I started having marital issues," she said.
From left: Johnny Young Bosch, David Yost, Amy Jo Johnson, Jason David Frank, Karan Ashley and Steve Cardenas in 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'
Moviestore/Shutterstock
But she said that at the time of his passing, they had called off their separation and were working on reuniting. Jason died during a short vacation the couple took. "It was meant to be a fun weekend getaway, and instead, I lost the love of my life. Jason was a good man, but he was not without his demons. He was human, just like the rest of us," Tammie said.
Jason's other acting credits include episodes of Sweet Valley High and Family Matters. Before his death, he filmed the movie Legend of the White Dragon, which has yet to be released.
Jason and Tammie shared four children, sons Hunter and Jacob and daughters Skye and Jenna.
From left: Steve Cardenas, Jason David Frank, Amy Jo Johnson and David Yost in 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie'
Saban/Toei/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jason's story was also told in a 2025 episode of Investigation Discovery's six-part series, Hollywood Demons, which explores the dark side of fame. The episode, titled "Dark Side of the Power Rangers," explains that Jason struggled with addiction and deep emotional turmoil. That was heightened when his brother, Erik Frank, died by suicide in 2001 at age 29.
Tammie said in the episode that the last time she spoke to Jason, he was going to shower while she went to get some snacks. When she returned, he was dead. "He's my best friend," Tammie said. "I miss him."
Jason Faunt, who starred in the Power Rangers series Power Rangers Time Force, said in the episode that Jason told him some of the things he was dealing with shortly before his death.
"He pulled me aside and he just revealed to me something that had happened," Faust said in the series. "The conversations that we had — some of them I'm gonna keep to myself. But I will tell you this, he was really struggling with some stuff and I think that that's when I realized there was something else at play here that I hadn't seen before." He didn't give other details, but added it had nothing to do with the Power Rangers or Tammie.
Jason was also a martial artist and owned and operated his own karate studios. He also became involved in MMA.
Jason David Frank in 2017
Daniel Zuchnik/Getty
Jason spoke to the Christian Broadcasting Network in 2014 about how he found God after his brother's death. "I didn't really understand what the whole church thing was about and then" he said. "When I lost my brother, it was like people were telling me I need God and all that stuff, and I was like, 'If one more person tells me that, then that is what it is.'" He started a Christian MMA clothing line, Jesus Didn't Tap.
In 2018, Jason told Entertainment Weekly that he often spoke to fans about the legacy of Power Rangers and the impact the series had on them. "I've heard everything: 'You were my father figure.' 'My parents used to fight all the time, and the only thing that calmed my anxiety down was watching Power Rangers.' 'Hey, I named my baby after you,' " he said. "The show was campy, it was fun, it was colors, it was karate, but at the end of the day it had a ton of heart and was teaching teamwork."
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 28, 2026 at 10:01PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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