The past week dealt a blow to fans of the expansive Power Rangers universe, as New Zealand actor Pua Magasiva of Power Rangers Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder fame was found dead at 38 years old. The death was unexpected and shocked many who watched Magasiva's work on TV series such as Shortland Street and Outrageous Fortune, though the actor was arguably best known around the world for his Power Rangers years.
Pua Magasiva's former co-star Jason Chan – who played Cameron Watanabe, the Green Samurai – took to social media to share his heartfelt feelings about his friend's untimely death. Check it out below.
Following both the Power Rangers Ninja Storm and Power Rangers Dino Thunder TV runs, Jason Chan and Pua Magasiva also stayed connected with fans through some of the fan conventions that have been held. The love shared from the fandom to the stars was reciprocated in full, it seems, and Magasiva's death touched a lot of people out there.
For his post, Jason Chan recalled a specific moment during his time working with Pua Magasiva that has remained a hallmark moment of his career. And it's a pretty sweet moment, too, with Magasiva as Shane Clarke catching Chan's Cam from accidentally falling over, and all without breaking out of the magic of the scene. Now that's professionalism. (It would also spark some laughs to hear what some of Magasiva's practical jokes were, but perhaps that's for a more fitting time after the mourning period has passed.)
It was reported by the New Zealand Herald that the 38-year-old Pua Magasiva was found dead in Wellington on Saturday, May 11. Police were called out to an address in the Wellington central business district in the early morning hours, where Magasiva was discovered to have died suddenly.
According to a police spokesperson, the death was being passed on to the coroner because there weren't any suspicious circumstances thought to be involved. No cause of death was reported, however.
Pua Magasiva, who was also one of the co-hosts for radio station Flava, was the subject of many fond-memory posts across the internet, with fans sharing love for many of the shows and films he'd appeared in over the years. Jason Chan wasn't the only Power Rangers Ninja Storm vet to post a tribute in Magasiva's name, either.
Below is an Instagram post with pics from those Power Rangers days, as shared by Yellow Wind Ranger portrayer Glenn McMillan.
Power Rangers Ninja Storm's 38 episodes were released in 2003, while Power Rangers Dino Thunder's 38 episodes came out in 2004. Late enough for phone cameras to be widespread, but just before social media had a full stranglehold on people's attention spans. One imagines there would have been many more shots like that on Instagram if it would have been around at the time.
Here, co-star Adam Tuominen, who portrayed Crimson Thunder Ranger Hunter Bradley, shared his own memorable photo and melancholic message about Pua Magasiva's death.
Having died at just 38, Pua Magasiva left behind a wife in Lizz Sadler, whom he'd just married in 2018. The actor is also survived by a daughter he had from a previous marriage, as well as a step-daughter that Sadler had from her own prior relationship.
We at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Pua Magasiva in their time of mourning.
