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R.I.P. Jason Frank


Ridley Prime

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I hope all that are dealing with Jason David Frank's passing are able to find healing. The talent he provided as a Power Ranger across many seasons deserves all the thanks and praise. Jason David Frank played inspirational roles as Tommy Oliver and those roles will continue to inspire me after his passing. The White Ranger is my favorite Power Ranger, the Green Ranger is among my favorites and Zeo Ranger V, Red Turbo Ranger and Black Dino Thunder Ranger aren't far behind. His roles made kids want to grow up to be heroes and leaders, and it's sad to know that he is gone. I found out about this shortly after talking about Power Rangers with my family too and I'll get into that. Rest in peace, Jason David Frank. 

 

....

 

My family had asked me earlier this morning what my favorite Christmas gift was over the past 5 years since we're in the holiday season now, and I said it has got to be one of the collection Megazords I've received from my younger sister. I then narrowed that down to when I got the White Tigerzord and Saba...A little while after that I go on youtube to find a video to listen to while I grind in Metroid Prime Hunters, and I see a thumbnail and a title that's along the lines of R.I.P. JDF. My first thought is what was that about, so I go to Google and type in Jason David Frank.

 

I see the news from tweets that pop up in the horizontal feed that appears within the search results, but I didn't believe it. I end up refreshing for the next 15 minutes, and as more credible sources popped up in tweets, the news began to hit me. I was on the verge of being very emotional, so I turned off my laptop, gathered myself, grabbed MPH and grabbed a water and went to isolate myself so I can work through Jason David Frank's passing. I ended up calling my younger sister, asked if she heard the news which she hadn't and I couldn't get out the words to tell her as I was too emotional to clearly speak. She thought something had happened to someone within our own family after that call, so I finally through text was able to come to an acceptance and share the unfortunate passing as I cleared up the situation with her. From there, I spoke with my Dad and shared the news. The communication with them helped me get through my emotions and to a more positive mindset. 

 

Those calls were made while I was in the middle of a session grinding away in MPH, as I felt I needed to play my favorite game to get better mentally. The most efficient spot to grind ironically is Incubation Vault 03, and while I played there my emotions toward the passing were coming in waves. The Green Power Ranger is one of my favorites, and I was being reminded of that character and the episode "Fighting Spirit" in Dino Thunder when Tommy must face that previous life. That too helped me work out my emotions, and getting back to feeling regular. 

 

I do hope those impacted are able to work through their own process as well during this difficult moment. Jason will be missed. If a person is feeling down, I hope they can will themselves to either friends and family to talk to and/or to activities and interests that they find comfort in. It's never good to deal with being down when in a void. 

Edited by Ithrak Utopia
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Like most and Ithrak here, JDF was a role to most kids in the 90's through his portrayal of Tommy Oliver on the original MMPR. In the 90's, I saw the name Tommy synonymous with courage, leadership and doing the right thing. Tommy from the Rugrats had that in common with Tommy from MMPR.

 

So tho, I haven't kept up with JDF as late, he never be forgotten what he meant to me as kid watching being model hero. That doesn't mean this news doesn't hit me less or harder but at the end of the day this is a guy who influenced a lot ppl around the world, that anyone can be hero.

 

Rest in Peace Jason David Frank.

Edited by DLurkster
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Looking through my old closet, saw that I still had these toys. Not in the best shape now though as you can see... For the Megazord, one horn from the Mastadon part, the head of the Sabretooth Tiger part, and the Power Sword got lost somewhere. The power weapons just got bent out of shape over time. Played with that stuff too hard at times as a kid, but the Megazord can still move and make sounds with the remote control.

 

I remember wanting to get a Dragon Zord toy, but it was usually sold out. I should’ve gotten the dragon flute though at least. One of my neighborhood friends at the time had toys of Saba and the White Tiger Zord.

 

The black ranger (Zack or Adam) was initially my favorite, having had a costume of it, but then it pretty much became a tossup between Jason Lee Scott and Tommy Oliver; not just in Mighty Morphin but Zeo and whatever else they appeared in, though Tommy had more appearances, being essentially Saban's golden child. Black Dino Thunder Ranger was pretty notable too.

 

I still haven't fully processed JDF's death yet. Even now, I occasionally get sad when looking back on Trini (Thuy Trang) and remembering her passing, along with that of others in the series (Mighty Morphin and beyond). This happening barely a week or so after the animated Batman's passing doesn't help either. I am looking forward though to what all touching things those who trained with Frank and his ranger co-stars will have to say on him and his passing, particularly the one who played Kimberly.

 

 

Oh, aside from something earlier about JDF’s wife (or former wife) leaving him, his step daughter killed herself last year, leaving a 6 month old behind. Looks like they all had a rough time and it was just one thing after another. Wish he had found or gotten help somewhere, but alas.

Edited by Ridley Prime
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Thanks for sharing those pics and your thoughts, RP.

 

Either, I didn't have a lot of MMPR toys or had none. (Now that I think about, I didn't have or got a lot of action figure as child, it explains in my adult life I am catching up with that now, lol)

 

As for me and my fave Power Ranger of back in the day, I can't think of any beyond Tommy himself. I could say Rocky, Zach, Adam, Aisha, Billy or Justin. The only one who comes close and he wasn't a Power Ranger for long but his torch was passed by Tommy is TJ. Seeing black man lead the Power Rangers is a moment I can't forget being black myself.

 

As for my favorite time as Tommy has gotta be when it became the White Power Ranger. (I think he was that ranger the longest, if I am not mistaken? Tho all colors he don were great and I think were for a while, the first White Power Ranger was pretty awesome and cool) The fact he turn bad against his will as the Green Power Ranger, went good, lost his power as the Green Power Ranger to eventually be the White Power Ranger was amazing to me. It shows that he went thru so much adversity and still preserver, similar like Jason, Kimberly and Kat when they were most vulnerable without their morpher or were drained of power.

 

That's what I loved about the character Tommy the most as whole and why the White Power Ranger was just so awesome!

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That was big of him. As kind of implied there and for anyone who didn't know, there was a grudge of sorts that JDF and ASJ had, since they were teens during the original show. It was over stupid stuff because they were essentially still kids at the time, but I became mixed on JDF as a person with some of the things I saw/heard him say about ASJ behind the show/scenes, and it's a shame that they didn't get to bury that hatchet, but in death, all debts are paid. Like Austin said, once a ranger, always a ranger.

 

One other thing regarding the divorce Frank had earlier in the year, it was rumored he cheated on his wife, having an affair with someone else. When I first heard of that, I took it with a grain of salt and decided to wait upon further evidence, like with Austin St John and the wire fraud thing, but I didn't think it would lead to Frank ending his life... Not that that was the only factor.

 

Looked into some other things this morning regarding what happened with Frank before all this, but apparently Hasbro (the current owner of the Power Rangers brand) was distancing JDF from the franchise? Also too, he was pushing for a lot of Tommy centric shows and things to happen, like a show about Lord Drakkon (the alternate timeline Tommy that remained evil and had the Green & White Ranger powers combined) and such, but Hasbro said no to that. I won't forget though this video he did for promoting the character.

 

 

 

While we all got to love Tommy during his canonical development of going from evil to good, I can understand the fans that would've preferred Tommy had stayed evil, because the concept of an evil ranger that was introduced with the character was cool and he was cool as the evil green ranger... I still have VHS tapes of the Green With Evil episodes somewhere. I like White Ranger too, but Green had more an impact on me overall, along with the Dragon Zord.

 

But yeah, I imagine JDF being denied more with Tommy didn't help with him; thanks Hasbro. And then there was the repetition for him of going to comic cons... Speaking of, I didn't know until after the fact that Frank lived in Texas where I'm at for the remainder of his life. Not in the same area as me, but a friend from that area said JDF had a dojo that was just a few minutes from where they live. I did know though Austin St John started living in Texas at some point, as do some other former rangers apparently (Adam and Rocky, to name a couple).

 

Something else I read about JDF, he made an initiative to save local comic book stores during the height of the covid pandemic and signed a lot of things to do so. A big name like him really made a difference there.

 

JDF still had a lot of time left, but this whole thing made me remember one thing, that I and we still have a lot of time left too. Life live to the fullest, it's what we can best do to honor his memory. That, and I guess rewatching some of the Power Ranger seasons with him sometime. Rest in Power.

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I was aware of the JDF and ASJ grudge, I wouldn't say it is similar to The Rock vs Vin Diesel but yeah. What I wasn't aware if it they every bury the hatchet? Not say as a kid and even now watching the episodes were both JDF and ASJ were on screen, I guess I felt tension or they made fuel the scenes where tension needed to be. I am grateful ASJ made that video.

 

As for the man that was JDF, like all ppl in life, we're complicated and without knowing the ins and out of his life completely no matter where you stand as fan or not. It is hard to put stake in either view that is who said person really is. I forget if this is a saying, 'don't meet your idols, they usually don't measure up to how you thought of them' comes to mind with JDF life is what it is. If you are fan from the start with him, then think of him that way and don't sway on that. That's the only thing I can say if ppl are looking for answers in JDF death and leading up to it. That's how I think he wants to be remember, his fans and family as well as our thoughts and prayers goes out to those who were close with JDF.

 

That's all any of us can do, honor the man we remember JDF as and carry that in our hearts forever.

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21 hours ago, DLurkster said:

I was aware of the JDF and ASJ grudge, I wouldn't say it is similar to The Rock vs Vin Diesel but yeah. What I wasn't aware if it they every bury the hatchet? Not say as a kid and even now watching the episodes were both JDF and ASJ were on screen, I guess I felt tension or they made fuel the scenes where tension needed to be. I am grateful ASJ made that video.

 

As for the man that was JDF, like all ppl in life, we're complicated and without knowing the ins and out of his life completely no matter where you stand as fan or not. It is hard to put stake in either view that is who said person really is. I forget if this is a saying, 'don't meet your idols, they usually don't measure up to how you thought of them' comes to mind with JDF life is what it is. If you are fan from the start with him, then think of him that way and don't sway on that. That's the only thing I can say if ppl are looking for answers in JDF death and leading up to it. That's how I think he wants to be remember, his fans and family as well as our thoughts and prayers goes out to those who were close with JDF.

 

That's all any of us can do, honor the man we remember JDF as and carry that in our hearts forever.

 

This recent reddit thread tells more about the JDF and ASJ situation better than I alone could.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/powerrangers/comments/z1h9ze/why_didnt_jdf_and_austin_st_john_get_along_hasbro/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

 

The diehard fans of Tommy/JDF who spoke badly about ASJ/Jason Lee Scott because JDF didn't like him and vice-versa always rubbed me the wrong way too. There didn't need to be that kind of division with two of the most beloved original rangers. The only reason JDF and ASJ ever saw each other again after the 90's was because of the Mighty Morphin reunion with the 2017 reboot film. Although that film was a mixed bag (though not as bad as other gritty reboots), the cameo JDF and Kimberly had at the end was nice.

 

As far as the "never meet your heroes" saying, I think that goes for not just JDF (when he was alive), but any ranger or TV actor or whatnot. Seeing them for a few minutes at a comic con I hardly count far as that though, as they're still putting on a show there too for whatever fans they come across.

 

 

Some other recent videos/links regarding the news worth posting-

 

 

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/powerrangers/comments/z113s4/anythings_possible_tommy_oliver_1995/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/powerrangers/comments/z1crzs/ranger_staff_posts_about_jdf/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

 

 

Something I kept forgetting to mention, remember David Trueheart in Zeo? That was not only Tommy’s brother in the show, but JDF’s brother in real life, Erik Frank. Erik died young from an unspecified illness, so I guess to some extent, JDF’s family has always known tragedy.

Edited by Ridley Prime
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@Ridley Prime: I'll read the JDF/ASJ stuff a little later when I have the time.

 

As for the never meet your hero/idol thing, I didn't mean that just for JDF, just anyone look up to, admire. Where every you happen to meet them, (which is most likely a convention) regardless, they put on their pants one leg at a time. So yeah, actors who go to convention put on a show for those who come to see and admire but at the end of the day they ppl first like us. When it comes to be to much for the few they want to be treated like ppl, just normal everyday pp. Yes, they do a lot for ppl who admire them bu they are ppl first and sometimes ppl tend to get so caught up with the star, they forget they are ppl first and foremost. That is what I meant by not meet your idol as well, what we expect is who they play character we admire and not the person themselves. That said, as I said when something great you know dies, remember them the best way you know how, how you admire them growing up, JDF and his family would appreciate that.

 

As for Tommy little brother in Zeo, hmmm....I vaguely recall that. (I think that out of the somewhat early days of MMPR, that was my least fave season, it had some interesting plot point but not as interesting before it and after with Turbo, to me. I will definitely look that up cause it is bugging me, that I am on the cusp of remembering but eludes me, lol.

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On 11/23/2022 at 11:16 AM, DLurkster said:

@Ridley Prime: I'll read the JDF/ASJ stuff a little later when I have the time.

 

As for the never meet your hero/idol thing, I didn't mean that just for JDF, just anyone look up to, admire. Where every you happen to meet them, (which is most likely a convention) regardless, they put on their pants one leg at a time. So yeah, actors who go to convention put on a show for those who come to see and admire but at the end of the day they ppl first like us. When it comes to be to much for the few they want to be treated like ppl, just normal everyday pp. Yes, they do a lot for ppl who admire them bu they are ppl first and sometimes ppl tend to get so caught up with the star, they forget they are ppl first and foremost. That is what I meant by not meet your idol as well, what we expect is who they play character we admire and not the person themselves. That said, as I said when something great you know dies, remember them the best way you know how, how you admire them growing up, JDF and his family would appreciate that.

 

As for Tommy little brother in Zeo, hmmm....I vaguely recall that. (I think that out of the somewhat early days of MMPR, that was my least fave season, it had some interesting plot point but not as interesting before it and after with Turbo, to me. I will definitely look that up cause it is bugging me, that I am on the cusp of remembering but eludes me, lol.

 

When I was looking at some more JDF stuff on youtube last night, randomly came across this ASJ interview video from a couple years ago... The part at 24 to 27 minutes in tells why he, Trini, and Zack left MMPR when it was still at the height of its popularity, and also why ASJ didn't like JDF. It lines up with what some said in the earlier posted reddit thread regarding the topic, but good to know still.

 

 

 

Back to JDF though, came across this which I guess was either his last video or one of his last videos before he ended his life the day after.

 

 

 

Even if he was still alive, I would say this was a video worth sharing for the motivational message it had. Everything he said was spot on, and it hits close to home in hindsight, but I think this video was the last thing he wanted to be remembered for, before he would leave this world the next day as he planned. Reading between the lines of what he was saying in that short video, you could tell he had some things wrong going with him and he kept a lot of things bottled up inside. Unfortunately, that is what's to be expected of men and their emotions, much as society has tried to break that, but after the thing with JDF and his wife, he had no one to turn to it seemed, so he just did that vlog as one last message for everyone.

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Finally got around to reading those reddit posts and the video timestamp ASJ confirms what  pl thought what happened with the dropout of ASJ, Walter Jones and Thuy. Interesting.

 

As for that motivational video by JDF a day before his death.... This is what I am talking about, how he would like to be remembered, man! That is just awesome as always! And just like I said about ppl you admire, they are ordinary ppl to first then anyone else. JDF said this in this video and it is so true and we forget and get so caught up with admiration that they like any other person out there on earth, just trying make our way in life no matter how good or bad thing happen in it. How to build a legacy and be remembered is important as he said, as long as your true to yourself and put yourself and surround yourself with positive ppl. Life is too short no matter what to doubt yourself or anyone else for that matter. Very powerful message, JDF! Very powerful indeed Tommy Oliver Power Ranger!

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Just wanted to share my thoughts and memories regarding JDF. It has taken me a few weeks to process everything and this has affected me in a real way. I didn’t know the guy extremely well but me and my best friend got to meet him quite a few times and I feel I am pretty good judge of character. He was a good guy and he really did care a lot about the fans, embracing his character, and just having a lot of fun with his fame.

 

That being said, the dude wasn’t perfect and nobody is. He had his demons, the biggest one being the tragic losses he experienced over his life starting with his brother and ending with his daughter a year ago (whom he actually found after she committed suicide). I believe the comic cons and the fans really kept him going and he stayed busy to keep the PTSD demon from destroying him.
 

I believe that within the last year between losing his daughter and that destroying him and his family emotionally just did him in. I believed that from the get go. He actually had to cancel and reschedule his visits to Georgia last October because of a “family emergency” the day before I was going to meet him (had a ticket and everything ready). He never went into it and I never really dove into that to find out what happened. Then about a few weeks later he came to Georgia and I met him several times here. You could tell he was stressed out but he kept it hidden pretty well. Easily the coolest celebrity I have ever met (and I have met quite a few in my life, usually douchebags too).

 

He talked to me 45 minutes at one of the events I attended and the other time a good 20 minutes or so. He didn’t try to rush me, he was very attentive and really engaged into our conversations. He did have an ego and that is probably why the whole Austin & JDF bs happened. Him and Austin also had beef from back in the day because he refused to stand with them against Saban which Austin never really got over.

 

They also weren’t on good terms prior to the walkout because they both had huge egos and Austin acting like a teenager because he was one tended to really get under JDF’s skin. JDF also felt to some degree he needed to prove himself during his MMA stint and wanted to get Austin and CM Punk to fight him.

 

People read into all that too much when it was just typical shit talk to try and prod them into a fight. When you are professional martial artist, you gotta have an ego at that level to be able to compete and JDF was very competitive. Unfortunately, it showed up in ways that were perceived negatively. I got nothing bad to say about him or the other living OG rangers.

 

I have met all of them except for Amy Jo Johnson who I have yet to meet at an event. Even when I met Austin he treated me with a ton of respect, he talked to me for a good 15 minutes or so and didn’t try and rush me, and I had a legitimately good experience even if he did come off as a bit of an ass at times.

 

Think he saw too much overseas, tends to be pretty typical of those have been in war zones or in the Army. I tend to come off the same way because I am also an Army Veteran so there was a mutual respect and understanding when it came to that lol. Anyways, here is my Tommy Oliver shrine with some signed merchandise. JDF was even cool enough to sign my MMPR The Movie SNES game.

 

As far as his death goes, it is just a goddamn tragedy. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for him and his wife to not only lose their daughter at 26 but also have to raise her 4 month old son as their own with the father of the child deciding to take them to court to get his son back. That is too much on anyone, especially someone who was already struggling badly with PTSD prior to all that. 
 

 

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Nice. There was like three MMPR games for the system that I recall. One was a beat em up, though didn’t have Tommy, but the other one you got based on the 1995 movie did (well, loosely based on the movie, with a Dracula esque fight with Ivan Ooze at the end being the only thing in common and just Putties and random monsters from the show during previous levels). The 3rd one was the fighting game with different Zords and villains at the time which was pretty good too.

 

Makes me disappointed how little that MMPR Mega Battle digital arcade game in 2017 offered in comparison. Suppose it should’ve been obvious to begin with that it was just a nostalgia cashgrab with it having come out the same year as the MMPR reboot film, but you’d think there would be more beat em ups for classic Power Rangers in general with how TMNT still goes strong there. That aside…

 

Is great you got to meet as many of the original cast as you did. If I had known beforehand that JDF lived in Texas like me instead of just finding out after the fact, I would’ve made more an effort to meet him. Aside from half the original MMPR cast having that season 2 walkout over the pay dispute, I figured the ASJ and JDF beef was just over some martial arts rivalry or something. It got bigger than it needed to be though with hardcore Jason and Tommy fans egging on each other, and sometimes even the actors themselves probably.

 

 

I am mixed as far as the whole thing with JDF’s wife who left him, and what she said on him after his passing… It does feel like there’s a big part of the story she’s leaving out, and maybe it’s best that way for privacy reasons and so people can best remember JDF in a positive light, but part of me’s still curious to learn the truth of what all happened. I realize we’re not entitled to know all that though or try to be a detective on it just because we watched the guy a lot on TV once upon a time, but if the ex wife really broke what remained of his spirit, I don’t know. Obviously too he’s accountable for his own actions at the end of the day; what all he did beforehand and eventually taking his own life, but I don’t know where to stand on the ex wife, even if she didn’t deserve all the hate she got from Power Ranger fans over the death.

 

All I know is, they went to some hotel together, had another argument of some kind, JDF drove her out of the hotel and locked himself in, she called the police and they eventually got back in, and that’s when they found that he had hung himself. Sigh. Is possible too that both parties were guilty of something that led to all this, but again, perhaps best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Edited by Ridley Prime
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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/6/2022 at 5:55 PM, Ridley Prime said:

Nice. There was like three MMPR games for the system that I recall. One was a beat em up, though didn’t have Tommy, but the other one you got based on the 1995 movie did (well, loosely based on the movie, with a Dracula esque fight with Ivan Ooze at the end being the only thing in common and just Putties and random monsters from the show during previous levels). The 3rd one was the fighting game with different Zords and villains at the time which was pretty good too.

 

Makes me disappointed how little that MMPR Mega Battle digital arcade game in 2017 offered in comparison. Suppose it should’ve been obvious to begin with that it was just a nostalgia cashgrab with it having come out the same year as the MMPR reboot film, but you’d think there would be more beat em ups for classic Power Rangers in general with how TMNT still goes strong there. That aside…

 

Is great you got to meet as many of the original cast as you did. If I had known beforehand that JDF lived in Texas like me instead of just finding out after the fact, I would’ve made more an effort to meet him. Aside from half the original MMPR cast having that season 2 walkout over the pay dispute, I figured the ASJ and JDF beef was just over some martial arts rivalry or something. It got bigger than it needed to be though with hardcore Jason and Tommy fans egging on each other, and sometimes even the actors themselves probably.

 

 

I am mixed as far as the whole thing with JDF’s wife who left him, and what she said on him after his passing… It does feel like there’s a big part of the story she’s leaving out, and maybe it’s best that way for privacy reasons and so people can best remember JDF in a positive light, but part of me’s still curious to learn the truth of what all happened. I realize we’re not entitled to know all that though or try to be a detective on it just because we watched the guy a lot on TV once upon a time, but if the ex wife really broke what remained of his spirit, I don’t know. Obviously too he’s accountable for his own actions at the end of the day; what all he did beforehand and eventually taking his own life, but I don’t know where to stand on the ex wife, even if she didn’t deserve all the hate she got from Power Ranger fans over the death.

 

All I know is, they went to some hotel together, had another argument of some kind, JDF drove her out of the hotel and locked himself in, she called the police and they eventually got back in, and that’s when they found that he had hung himself. Sigh. Is possible too that both parties were guilty of something that led to all this, but again, perhaps best to let sleeping dogs lie.

 Her side of the story makes a lot of sense. I am sure there are some ugly parts with both of them that is being left out to try and quell the harassment and trolling the family is going through. Another reason I do believe  Tammi Frank’s story is that her daughter Jenna was best friends with her Dad and extremely close to him. He was her entire world. So if Tammi was doing anything that TMZ or fans are accusing of her of doing, don’t you believe that his daughter would not come to her defense?
 

Jenna has come to her mom’s defense full force. Most people would never come to someone’s defense even if they weren’t that close to them if they believed said person had a lot to do with it. Jenna has said repeatedly since TMZ broke the story about the divorce that people shouldn’t believe everything they see. She has said on her instagram that they were all working through the problems as a family. I never once saw any evidence of Tammi treating JDF poorly.

 

They seemed to have a very loving marriage and it is not like JDF didn’t broadcast much of his life to fans. I have followed the man for years, this totally blindsided me when the Tammi drama came out after he took his life. Seems based off everything I could dig into (and I did a ton of digging) is them losing their daughter a little over a year ago was the catalyst.

 

That will destroy a person. He apparently found her, Tammi has said on her social media that her daughter didn’t commit suicide, so maybe it was something else. They never did disclose how it happened and kept the matter very private. Everything is coming from tabloid TMZ and from “sources close to Jason” and shit like that. We know that JDF always struggled with PTSD and mental health issues.

 

We know that he lost his mom a few years ago to cancer and that tore him up. Then he loses his daughter (step yes, but he raised her, so it is his daughter). Can you imagine how hard that is on a family? I have seen families destroyed over the loss of a child. To make it worse, she had a 4 month old son that they took custody of and raised as their own. Here they are with Jenna leaving the house and they are supposed to start a new chapter and then bam, all this happens.

 

JDF was no saint either, nobody is. I am sure he neglected a lot of his husbandly duties by staying so busy. A lot of times people do that to cope with the loss but then you got a spouse at home raising a 4 month old and you are gone all the time. It was just too much. It was nobody’s fault. Everyone wants someone to blame but there is no one to blame except for the cruel beast that is mental health disorders and illnesses.

 

I wouldn’t believe in the TMZ shit. As far as the heartfelt talk they had at the end, we don’t know if that happened but it is very possible. We know a big issue in their marriage was the loss of a child and maybe they talked about that and it put him in a bad state and he said “I can’t do this anymore.” Usually when someone takes their life it is sudden and it is within 5-15 minutes after they start thinking it. It is rarely ever planned out and it just sudden.

 

We will never get the “truth” because we didn’t know them and we weren’t there. I also don’t believe any of us deserve an explanation, deserve whatever bs truth there is, and this is a private family matter that everyone needs to butt out of. A lot of people are just hurt and want reasons. With suicide there are no good reasons because it is complex and it often happens out of nowhere when everyone least expects it. I think we all need to just remember him for who he was and respect his family. That is what he would have wanted and he was a big protector of them.

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Yeah, I may not have had a close bond with JDF like some ppl in this thread so because of that despite the cause of death as suicide, just like ppl are blinded by celebrities. Ppl who admire the heck of certain want answers for sudden deaths, suicide is hard to comprehend and Irondog said it best, there's no thinking when someone decided to take their own life so trying to make sense of what didn't will only make the person seeking truth want to find out more and when all leads exhausted, you may not like the outcome, like suicide.

 

But yeah, those who admired hard are especially affected by this and also take the most time to wrap their minds that this person they looked up to is no longer of this world. In the end, no matter what happened, no matter what you find and didn't like in your answers to find the truth. It is best to remember the departed from this world, when you remember them at their best. They would appreciate that and the ones that loved him, like his family and close friends.

 

That's all any of us can do now without going down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and dread, just remember who these ppl were to you at their best and hope you can move on with your life.

 

Regardless, for me to say the above is not beyond me and I can sympathize how one could feel with this loss and what one could go thru. Despite that and tho as I said not as close as other ppl in this thread, JDF is someone I still looked up to as a kid. That is no different or comparing how one admire but JDF taught me how to be brave and stand up for myself. That is what he did for me as a kid.

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6 hours ago, Irondog666 said:

 Her side of the story makes a lot of sense. I am sure there are some ugly parts with both of them that is being left out to try and quell the harassment and trolling the family is going through. Another reason I do believe  Tammi Frank’s story is that her daughter Jenna was best friends with her Dad and extremely close to him. He was her entire world. So if Tammi was doing anything that TMZ or fans are accusing of her of doing, don’t you believe that his daughter would not come to her defense?
 

Jenna has come to her mom’s defense full force. Most people would never come to someone’s defense even if they weren’t that close to them if they believed said person had a lot to do with it. Jenna has said repeatedly since TMZ broke the story about the divorce that people shouldn’t believe everything they see. She has said on her instagram that they were all working through the problems as a family. I never once saw any evidence of Tammi treating JDF poorly.

 

They seemed to have a very loving marriage and it is not like JDF didn’t broadcast much of his life to fans. I have followed the man for years, this totally blindsided me when the Tammi drama came out after he took his life. Seems based off everything I could dig into (and I did a ton of digging) is them losing their daughter a little over a year ago was the catalyst.

 

That will destroy a person. He apparently found her, Tammi has said on her social media that her daughter didn’t commit suicide, so maybe it was something else. They never did disclose how it happened and kept the matter very private. Everything is coming from tabloid TMZ and from “sources close to Jason” and shit like that. We know that JDF always struggled with PTSD and mental health issues.

 

We know that he lost his mom a few years ago to cancer and that tore him up. Then he loses his daughter (step yes, but he raised her, so it is his daughter). Can you imagine how hard that is on a family? I have seen families destroyed over the loss of a child. To make it worse, she had a 4 month old son that they took custody of and raised as their own. Here they are with Jenna leaving the house and they are supposed to start a new chapter and then bam, all this happens.

 

JDF was no saint either, nobody is. I am sure he neglected a lot of his husbandly duties by staying so busy. A lot of times people do that to cope with the loss but then you got a spouse at home raising a 4 month old and you are gone all the time. It was just too much. It was nobody’s fault. Everyone wants someone to blame but there is no one to blame except for the cruel beast that is mental health disorders and illnesses.

 

I wouldn’t believe in the TMZ shit. As far as the heartfelt talk they had at the end, we don’t know if that happened but it is very possible. We know a big issue in their marriage was the loss of a child and maybe they talked about that and it put him in a bad state and he said “I can’t do this anymore.” Usually when someone takes their life it is sudden and it is within 5-15 minutes after they start thinking it. It is rarely ever planned out and it just sudden.

 

We will never get the “truth” because we didn’t know them and we weren’t there. I also don’t believe any of us deserve an explanation, deserve whatever bs truth there is, and this is a private family matter that everyone needs to butt out of. A lot of people are just hurt and want reasons. With suicide there are no good reasons because it is complex and it often happens out of nowhere when everyone least expects it. I think we all need to just remember him for who he was and respect his family. That is what he would have wanted and he was a big protector of them.

 

See, I was one of the people that knew about JDF and Tammi's drama & divorce some months ago, so when he suddenly passed, all eyes were on her naturally. That's fair though; I'll just leave it at that.

 

I actually didn't know that he lost his mom to cancer a few years ago, but everything else I did know of. That's really unfortunate though. I know Austin St John lost his dad just around the beginning of this year.

 

Usually don't like bringing up religion publicly, but since it's related to the topic, another reason I was surprised that JDF took his own life was because I had learned way earlier on that he became a Christian after the passing of his older brother (he had a "Jesus didn't tap" tattoo on him or something), and even with X, Y, and Z he had going on, I thought he would've turned to God or something. I suppose he did at earlier points, but after all his prayers, he just lost it still after everything that happened.

 

Slightly unrelated, but happy birthday to the late Thuy Trang, who today would've been the same age JDF was before he passed. Apparently he helped her get on to the show of Mighty Morphin to begin with, when they was looking for another actor for Trini the yellow ranger.

Edited by Ridley Prime
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2 hours ago, Ridley Prime said:

 

See, I was one of the people that knew about JDF and Tammi's drama & divorce some months ago, so when he suddenly passed, all eyes were on her naturally. That's fair though; I'll just leave it at that.

 

I actually didn't know that he lost his mom to cancer a few years ago, but everything else I did know of. That's really unfortunate though. I know Austin St John lost his dad just around the beginning of this year.

 

Usually don't like bringing up religion publicly, but since it's related to the topic, another reason I was surprised that JDF took his own life was because I had learned way earlier on that he became a Christian after the passing of his older brother (he had a "Jesus didn't tap" tattoo on him or something), and even with X, Y, and Z he had going on, I thought he would've turned to God or something. I suppose he did at earlier points, but after all his prayers, he just lost it still after everything that happened.

 

Slightly unrelated, but happy birthday to the late Thuy Trang, who today would've been the same age JDF was before he passed. Apparently he helped her get on to the show of Mighty Morphin to begin with, when they was looking for another actor for Trini the yellow ranger.


Interesting that you bring up religion because that is a big rabbit hole we can go down and I am willing to entertain that largely because I view it as a teachable moment.  A lot of fans have been going on about whether he was a fraud or “was he really a Christian” and “he tapped out but had an MMA clothing line called Jesus Didn’t Tap.” The problem within religious circles is the level of ignorance on the subject of mental health is off the charts (as well as other things that are beyond the scope of this).  I know quite a few people who were true Christians. They were saved, baptized and were good people that took their lives. Actually, most people I know who have taken their lives were devout Christians. I have my own theory on why that might be and I personally have been down the suicidal road more than once myself. 
 

One of my best friends took her life after being raped on a ship by her commanding officer in the Navy. She developed PTSD and they kicked her out because of it without any benefits while her commander got away with it completely.  Then you got some idiotic Pastor at my best friend’s memorial service going on about how, “we can’t ever know if she was saved, taking one’s life is a sign they weren’t.  I hope her soul was saved but I have my doubts and not everyone goes to, “A better place.” They were lucky I wasn’t there because I would have gotten up and knocked him the fuck out.

 

Several of my friends and family wanted to do that but refrained. He did get cussed out of the building but deserved way more than that. You just don’t say that kind of stupid shit at someone’s funeral.  I couldn’t go to her memorial service  due to being in the Army at the time and my toxic ass leaders refusing to let me go home even though there was no good reason not to.  
 

I wasn’t deployed at the time and there was really nothing going on (a lot of “reverse racism” went on in my unit). That incident made me suicidal and to this day I still have PTSD from it. I am on good meds, I go to therapy monthly, I take good care of myself,  and haven’t had any major issues in years. Tried to do that whole stupid, “lean on God” bs and luckily God made me go to behavioral health after a failed attempt (the  shower curtain broke). 
 

I was lucky in the sense I was in the Army and when my first sergeant found out about it (which was the day of her memorial sadly enough) not only did he reprimand every single one of my NCOs, he forced me to go. It was mandatory, I had no choice, I had to be up there 3x a week and that went on for years.  I also know the warning signs and have already had to institutionalize myself into the VA psych ward once.

 

Not everyone is strong enough to seek out help or get on meds due to the stigma associated with it. Unlike in the military, nobody can force someone to get help and even in states where intervention laws exist, they are usually very difficult to enforce or even initiate through the courts. It also doesn’t help that the United States does not take the issue of mental health seriously and it is the first thing they love to cut the hell out of. It is also very expensive.

 

Without my insurances and the VA it would be a $60 copay per visit. It is really sad, especially when you consider how many service members and veterans have taken their lives. We lose around 22 veterans a day or so to suicide and it has been that way for years. It is the #1 killer in the military by a long shot, even when you take all the wars into account. I am super lucky I never became a statistic and I believe it is because God put people in my life who had the capability and were qualified to help me, it sure as hell wasn’t no pastor or minister.
 

Many of them will say, “lean on God and he will take it all away, don’t get on any of that stupid dope, you don’t need it, don’t listen to some shrink that the devil is wanting you to go to, listen to God.” That is an extremely dangerous message because it is that kind of mentality on why so many people of all religions, colors, cultures, and ages take their lives. It can happen to anyone. Christians are especially prone to it because of how much it is looked down upon to seek mental health treatment.
 

It is also a big issue in the Church due to this stupid anti-intellectual movement where being educated is a bad thing. If you are an educated person then you are somehow falling into Satan’s claws lol. Being stupid is the best way to go.  Point is it can happen to anyone, even someone like JDF who people see as, “having it all.” As far as the whole “you going to hell if you kill yourself” bs.
 

That is mostly a catholic view from what I understand but from just a biblical standpoint, that isn’t true as far as I am concerned. King David fell upon his sword and Jesus’s lineage goes back to King David. I don’t believe King David is burning in hell. If the idea of Jesus dying for man and taking the sin of the world upon himself is to be believed (which I personally do believe that) then why would you go to hell for killing your self? It is just murdering or killing yourself. Moses killed a dude and buried him in the sand and yes he repented for it but that was before the time of Jesus when they were still sacrificing lambs upon an altar. 
 

Sometimes God isn’t enough. I don’t believe God is some sort of Genie that we can rely upon to wish whatever away. Sometimes things happen in life that are out of our control. I believe God leaves a lot of things alone and it might just be because our world is cursed and of sin. I honestly don’t have the answers to a lot of it.  So bad things happen to good people for no seemingly good reason and sometimes we succumb to that. The other thing fans need to understand is that JDF carried the burden of losing his brother and many people around him for over 20 years. He was heartbroken and shattered beyond repair and this is why mental health is so extremely important.
 

It is like I say about God with money lol. I can pray all day for good to shit down a million dollars to me, is it gonna happen? Probably not. It is just one of those things we have to go through even if you are working 3 jobs and are losing your home. At the end of the day it is very unfortunate and sad and all we can do is try to take care of our own mental health but also try to be aware of what is going on with your loved ones. Just because everything looks picture perfect doesn’t mean it is and hindsight is 20/20 after someone does something like this. 

 

Anyways, sorry about the mini novel but I felt that I needed to share that. Take it from someone who has an official diagnoses of PTSD, ADHD, and a little bit of Autism (I got the unholy trifecta up in here lol), it is very complex and trauma requires a ton of therapy and work to get through, not just going to church and praying to God like he is some damn Genie. 

 

 

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3 hours ago, Ridley Prime said:

 

See, I was one of the people that knew about JDF and Tammi's drama & divorce some months ago, so when he suddenly passed, all eyes were on her naturally. That's fair though; I'll just leave it at that.

 

I actually didn't know that he lost his mom to cancer a few years ago, but everything else I did know of. That's really unfortunate though. I know Austin St John lost his dad just around the beginning of this year.

 

Usually don't like bringing up religion publicly, but since it's related to the topic, another reason I was surprised that JDF took his own life was because I had learned way earlier on that he became a Christian after the passing of his older brother (he had a "Jesus didn't tap" tattoo on him or something), and even with X, Y, and Z he had going on, I thought he would've turned to God or something. I suppose he did at earlier points, but after all his prayers, he just lost it still after everything that happened.

 

Slightly unrelated, but happy birthday to the late Thuy Trang, who today would've been the same age JDF was before he passed. Apparently he helped her get on to the show of Mighty Morphin to begin with, when they was looking for another actor for Trini the yellow ranger.


I just noticed your comment about Thuy. It is really sad what happened with the car wreck and I know that hurt him badly. From what I understand of it, his brother died around the same time and he was unable to attend Thuy’s funeral because he was dealing with his brother just passing. He took her death very hard too and never got any real closure. Take it from someone who has been there, not getting closure will mess you up. They were good friends and he not only helped her get on the show but also helped train her in martial arts for it. 

One final thing about suicide or any mental health issues. One of the best things you can do when combatting it is to immerse yourself in your hobbies or if you don’t have hobbies you need to find some. Our hobbies are often a main source of joy for us. With me it is video games, playing guitar, and woodworking. It is no substitute for therapy and meds but that is something a lot of people neglect when they are depressed or have anxiety. They let their hobbies go and lose interest and that is something you have to force yourself to do. I put aside several hours every single day for my hobbies and it is a big reason why I am legitimately happy more often than not. 

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I guess this isn’t surprising in hindsight, but with David Trueheart in Zeo, turns out Erik Frank had asked for a higher pay rate, and Saban gave him a boot like those before him who did the same. His character had an interesting arc in the show as Tommy’s brother both within the show and in real life. Could he have been considered to be the Gold Ranger at some point? He was another red herring for it at least like Billy, but am still glad Jason Scott got the role in the end with ASJ temporarily coming back. David Yost (Billy) leaving when he did because of the staff and crew homophobia was still unfortunate though.

 

Don’t have too much to say to those last posts, but well said @Irondog666. Am grateful to have heard of your experiences. And yeah, the insensitive (if not bigoted) old people who don’t take mental health into consideration have always been the main problem with religion and it getting a bad rap, even if I believe in God too. I never doubted JDF being a believer though. I had plenty “reverse racism” at my last job, so can relate there at least, as well as a near death experience there, leading me to having the mentioned unholy trifecta as well.

 

Oh, still find it cool that Chris Casamassa, best known for playing Scorpion in the first Mortal Kombat film, was the one that trained JDF and taught him most of what he knew in martial arts. I noticed some similar moves between that Scorpion and Tommy like how they did flips… It all made sense to me then. Chris also gave a heartfelt message to JDF’s passing like the ranger co-stars did.

Edited by Ridley Prime
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