On November 20th, the world was stunned to learn the tragic news that beloved actor Jason David Frank had died by suicide at the age of 49. The star was best known for playing the role of Tommy Oliver in the original US Power Rangers series, a role he began playing in 1993 and reprised in a number of spinoff series and films in the following decades.
The New Day have been vocal about their Power Rangers fandom in the past, even commissioning JDF-inspired gear back in 2021. Kofi Kingston’s gear is modeled after Tommy’s original role as the Green Ranger, while Xavier Woods opted for White Ranger-inspired gear, paying homage to Tommy’s second iteration after he lost his Green Ranger powers.
Paying tribute to the late actor at a WWE Live Event over the weekend, the members of The New Day once again donned their Power Rangers gear. Woods thanked fans for celebrating with them as they honored the actor he called a friend.
“Thanks for having some fun with us tonight as we celebrated our friend JDF #WWEPortland”
Thanks for having some fun with us tonight as we celebrated our friend JDF #WWEPortlandpic.twitter.com/QqARgfsxLY
— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) November 28, 2022
At the live event in Portland, ME, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston successfully defeated Maximum Male Models ma.çé and mån.sôör.
The New Day’s Xavier Woods Shared Touching Video Jason David Frank Saying He Wanted To Be A Superhero For Fans
Shortly after news broke that JDF had passed away, Xavier Woods took to social media to post a video of him meeting the man approximately six years ago and playing a video game together. In the video, Jason David Frank spoke about wanting to be a true superhero for his fans and joked about always needing to be “spandex ready.” He also sang the theme to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers with a clearly delighted Woods.
“Woke up to the news that Jason David Frank has passed away. As the green/white ranger he had a huge impact on my childhood. When I finally got the chance to meet him he was always kind to me. Really gonna miss him”
Woke up to the news that Jason David Frank has passed away. As the green/white ranger he had a huge impact on my childhood. When I finally got the chance to meet him he was always kind to me. Really gonna miss him pic.twitter.com/Oklo4kNyNn
— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) November 20, 2022
While The New Day previously held the record as the longest-reigning tag team champions in WWE history, their record was broken this past month when The Usos retained their titles against Woods and Kingston on the November 11th episode of WWE SmackDown.