The Power Rangers cast has been riddled with tragedy — and controversy — over the years.
Based on the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, the TV show premiered in 1993. Power Rangers followed five “teenagers with attitude” who were selected by Zordon to team up in a fight against evil sorceress Rita Repulsa. In addition to being martial arts experts, the teens drove their own giant vehicles called Zords, which could be combined to create an even bigger machine called the Megazord.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers launched the kids franchise but the world has since expanded with a variety of iterations, films and toys that generated over $6 billion in sales. Behind the scenes, however, the constantly rotating cast opened the door for controversy.
Investigation Discovery explored what went wrong for some cast members — including Pua Magasiva, Ricardo Medina Jr., Jason David Frank and more — in an April 2024 episode of their Hollywood Demons special.
According to the synopsis, “Beneath the bright spandex and high-flying karate kicks lies a grim reality of tragedy and scandals. Viewers will watch never-before-seen footage of a fan-turned-gunman who had one horrifying mission: to assassinate the show’s most legendary star. And just a few years later, the same actor meets a grim fate.”
Keep scrolling for the most surprising controversies related to the Power Rangers cast over the years:
Robert L. Manahan
Manahan was recognized for voicing Zordon in the final seasons of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo and Power Rangers in Space. He died due to a heart aneurysm in 2000 at age 43.
Erik Frank
Jason David Frank‘s brother played his onscreen sibling on Power Rangers Zeo in 1996. He died at age 29 in 2001 by suicide, which his wife, Nicole Rene Zambrano, spoke out about in Hollywood Demons.
Thuy Trang
Before being recast, Trang played the original yellow Power Ranger. She appeared in the entire first season and the first 20 episodes of season 2 before a payment dispute caused Trang, Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones‘ respective exits. Trang was replaced by Karan Ashley as a new Yellow Ranger.
Trang died at age 27 in 2001 after a car crash led to the vehicle flipping several times before hitting the safety rail and plunging into a rock face. Fellow actress Angela Rockwood was thrown out of the car, her spinal cord was severed and she was rendered paraplegic.
Ricardo Medina Jr.
Medina Jr., who played the red superhero in 2002’s Power Rangers Wild Force and starred as Deker in Power Rangers Samurai from 2011 to 2012, was arrested in 2015 for allegedly stabbing his roommate Joshua Sutter after the pair got into an argument over Medina’s girlfriend.
Medina Jr. was not initially charged after claiming self-defense but was arrested a second time in 2015. He was charged with one count of murder and faced up to 26 years behind bars. Medina Jr., who faced a possible sentence of life imprisonment, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
Medina was found guilty and sentenced to the maximum six years in prison and was released in 2020.
Pua Magasiva
The actor played Shane Clarke a.k.a the Red Ranger from Power Rangers Ninja Storm in 2003 before reprising the role in Power Rangers Dino Thunder. Magasiva died by suicide in May 2019. Later that year, a name suppression order was lifted, which revealed that Magasiva had been convicted of domestic assault against wife Elizabeth Sadler two weeks before his death.
Magasiva was sentenced to 70 hours of community work, and six months of supervision. Sadler later claimed that Magasiva’s alleged abuse went back years and he allegedly attacked her the night of his death.
Jason David Frank
The mixed martial artist made his first appearance on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show as Tommy Oliver’s Green Ranger. He subsequently became the White Ranger, which kept him on the show until its series finale in 1996.
Jason reprised his role on Power Rangers Zeo, Power Rangers Turbo and the Power Rangers theatrical films: 1995’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and 1997’s Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie. He returned for Power Rangers Super Megaforce, Power Rangers Hyperforce and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel.
He reunited with his former Mighty Morphin costar Amy Jo Johnson a.k.a the Pink Ranger for a cameo in the 2017 Power Rangers Movie. In 2022, Jason died by suicide at age 49, which his wife, Tammie Frank, later confirmed.
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