Jason David Frank dead at 49

famicommander

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Best known as Tommy from Power Rangers, the first green ranger and then white ranger. He ended up appearing over 230 times across the Power Rangers TV shows, web shorts, theatrical films, and video games.

In addition to his acting career he was a world class martial artist:
1-0-0-0 in pro MMA (1 submission)
4-0-0-0 in amateur MMA (2 KO, 2 submissions)
8th degree black belt in American Kempo Karate
1st degree black belt in Wado-Ryu Karate
1st degree black belt in Taekwondo
1st degree black belt in Judo
purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Ajarn Degree in Muay Thai (over 20 years as a certified instructor, won several amateur full contact tournaments as a fighter)
Founder of his own style he called Toso Kune Do
Also studied Shotokan Karate, Jeet Kune Do, Aikido, Wing Chun

His pro MMA career was cut short when he tore his bicep in training for a fight.

Leaves behind four kids. No cause of death revealed but from the social media reaction from his friends it sounds like a possible suicide or overdose. His second wife divorced him in January and last year his step daughter killed herself so he'd been having a rough go of it.
 

SML

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I, uh.

I thought he had already killed himself. :(
 

HornheaDD

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Was never a fan of Power Rangers, had no idea why they were so popular, much less why this one guy was so popular in that.

But at the same time, that sucks. Suicide is not an easy thing to deal with when it comes to family and friends. I hope his close ones are able to keep going. RIP dude.
 
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AppleiDog

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Was never a fan of Power Rangers, had no idea why they were so popular, much less why this one guy was so popular in that.
It was giant robots/dinosaurs and fighting like ninjas. The green ranger looked cool had a awesome dagger and a dragon robot.

Everything an 8 year old would love.
 

sirlynxalot

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Rip.
Was never a fan of Power Rangers, had no idea why they were so popular, much less why this one guy was so popular in that.
Jason stood out from his power ranger actor peers. The roles he played on the show generally involved him either being a mysterious figure more powerful than everyone else, or the leader of the team. In his first role he was a mysterious evil ranger and he single handedly beat up the other five power rangers with ease until events resulted in him being defeated. For an extremely formulaic show, he was one of the only characters that had some variation in the formula. Similarly, while the other ranger costumes always looked the same other than the color, his costume always had extra stuff on it like a gold vest. In some iterations he had his own robot that was as advanced by itself as the robot that the other five could only make by combining together. He also played characters on the show for a super long time while all other actors he started with got phased out for various reasons. Heck, I think he was still playing a character on the show as recently as 10 years ago, and he started around 1994! (There were some iterations in that time span where he wasn't on the show though).

Now in his personal life, he was one of the only ranger actors who lived a serious martial arts life. He kept himself in good physical condition, he taught Martial arts, I guess he was a black belt in several types of martial arts, and although he didn't have an extensive career, he briefly became a mixed martial arts fighter. So he really put his money where his mouth was on the martial arts, which was inspirational to people who got into that kind of thing via power rangers.

Finally, the guy put on a real positive personality for the fans. Even throughout the 2000s and 2010s he was regularly on the fan circuit going to comic conventions and stuff like that, doing interviews, autographs, repeating his famous power ranger lines, etc. He even acted in several short fan films, like the Super power beat down (yt channel) scripted video of his power ranger character fighting Ryu. Guy just seemed really positive and upbeat, very approachable to the fans, and had the fighting bonafides so he seemed more authentic than similar folks on the show who were mainly gymnasts or actors.

I haven't been keeping up with the guy or watching power rangers since the early half of the nineties, but that's a bit about why this guy seems notable to me, looms large in the conscience of people who grew up with the show, and why his death feels like a surprise.
 
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Cousin_Itt

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90s kid are in for a tough month. First batman, now the green power ranger.

edit. days are bluring together. it's been more than a week since Conroy passed.
 

HellioN

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I had a girlfriend who seriously had the hots for him back in the day.
It just now dawns on me that was 25-30 some odd years ago.
I secretly liked the show because well, giant robots fighting monsters!
Holy sheeeeeiiiiiittttt now I feel old.
Anyway, really sucks to hear about that.
Sounds like he was a pretty good dude who had some issues.
 

StaticX

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Scary to think someone so upbeat about life committing suicide.
Always great to take time for yourself and try to focus on you sometimes.
May he R.I.P. I was watching till 2004 ish, when he came back. Miss being so carefree
 

GutsDozer

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Absolutely shitty. RIP.
 

HornheaDD

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Rip. (snip)

Gotcha, to be clear I wasn't disparaging JDF nor belittling his death. I was just never a fan of Power Rangers, so I don't have the same connection others do to him and much less the franchise itself. In comparison, I took Conroy's passing way harder than JDF's, but it still really sucks about how JDF died. I feel for his loved ones.

Ive been suicidal, and Ive had friends who have committed suicide. Its not an easy thing for family and friends to handle. My friend Mike's suicide left scars that I still feel.
 

NeoSneth

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It's gotta be a tough mental trial to peak at a young age. Most of us struggle to ever peak, and these people find fame only to see it melt away...
 

sirlynxalot

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There are literally thousands of action figures out there of this guy with his human face owned by nerds, collectors and maybe still some kids. I wonder if the majority of fans will pack those away or throw them out, or if fans can separate the character from the actor and its not a big deal.
 

Fygee

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A damn shame and a terrible loss. I never once read a bad thing about him when it came to fans interacting with him, and he seemed to be one hell of a good dude.

A messy divorce and losing another family member to suicide would bring even the toughest of people to their knees. It's a tragedy he wasn't able to get enough help to get through it, though unfortunately sometimes some situations like this are beyond help.
 

mainman

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RIP Jason aka Tommy
I believe he's the 4th ranger to pass
Can't listen to go green ranger anymore


A damn shame and a terrible loss. I never once read a bad thing about him when it came to fans interacting with him, and he seemed to be one hell of a good dude.

A messy divorce and losing another family member to suicide would bring even the toughest of people to their knees. It's a tragedy he wasn't able to get enough help to get through it, though unfortunately sometimes some situations like this are beyond help.

It is being said he hung himself. He was a practicing Christian and as such suicide is high on the list of things you can't do.

Well Austin St John should be convicted, sentenced and deleted in prison soon.
 
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sirlynxalot

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Apparently jdf was working on a martial arts/super hero kinda movie in the last few years, shooting finished for it and it's been in editing this last year. It may be in limbo right now due to his death but I bet it gets released, his final film.

 

famicommander

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Apparently he got into a screaming match with his ex wife at a hotel, security came and they went to separate rooms, then she tried to knock on his door later and got no answer. She got the hotel people to check on him and found him hanging.
 

LoneSage

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Yeah, women can do that.

Ex wife at a hotel. That poor bastard. God bless him.
 
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mainman

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Frank once told a tale of almost getting into a fight with Jean-Claude Van Damme
 
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