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Fellow original Power Rangers pay tribute to Jason David Frank
Jason David Frank's Power Rangers co-stars are mourning his loss.
Over the weekend, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers star Jason David Frank passed away at the age of just 49. His death rocked both passionate current Power Rangers fans and those of us who grew up with the show as part of our weekly fandom routine, and sent shockwaves through a franchise family that has continued to reunite across the convention circuit in the years since the original show morphed into something far beyond the core original cast.
In the days since Frank's death, there's been an outpouring of support from his fans and his fellow convention circuit stars, paying tribute not just to the work he did as an actor and a martial artist, but to his spirit as a person and the way he related to his fan base. Now, his fellow Mighty Morphin' stars have expressed their own grief and love for their lost friend.
In a video posted to her Instagram page, original Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson shared her grief with fans over Frank's loss, noting that his death was still hitting her hard a day after the news broke.
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"I just came on here because I was feeling really sad and it's really hitting home today what has happened and that he's gone," Johnson said. "He was such a force and such a bright, bright, crazy, wild, funny light. And I just can't even believe it."
Johnson was not the only original Ranger to express shock and grief over losing one of their co-stars. Walter E. Jones, the original Black Ranger on the series, posted to his own Instagram page in tribute to Frank, sharing a photo of several of the original Rangers at the Power Rangers movie premiere in 2017, and writing, "My heart is sad to have lost another member of our special family." Austin St. John, the original Red Ranger, posted a photo of himself and Frank at the same premiere to Twitter, and said simply, "Once a ranger, always a ranger."
Then there's David Yost, the original Blue Ranger, who also posted to Twitter with several photos of himself and Frank over the years. In his remembrance of his co-star and friend, Yost wrote, "Like so many of us, I’m still struggling with it all. From the day we met we became instant bffs. We had our ups & downs as friends do. He’s always had my heart & my support. Love you buddy!"
Though in some cases they hadn't worked or appeared together in several years, it's clear that the connections between the Power Rangers stars -- who rose to massive success together on the strength of the show's emergence in the 1990s -- remains strong, and that Frank left a lasting impression on all of his collaborators.
