So, I was watching Disney XD (nee Toon Disney) on television with my four-year old daughter and a commercial for the new Power Rangers R.P.M. came on. 

She asked, "Daddy, do you watch Power Rangers?"

I replied, "I did a long time ago, but those were different Power Rangers."

She asked, "What happened to them?"

I didn't know and was curious.  Thus, for any of you who grew up in Angel Grove with Mega Zords and the Annoying (Zark 7 channeling) Alpha and know what a Skull and Bulk are, here is what happened to the actors that played the original five Mighty Morphin Power Rangers:

The Pink Ranger — Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson)

Without a doubt, the most successful thespian of the rangers is Amy Jo Johnson, who played the pink ranger.  This is a primarily because she went on to join the cast of JJ Abrams Felicity.  In addition to Felicity, Johnson has been a cast member of the ABC Family show Wildfire in its second season, played on ABC's What About Brian, and done some independent and made-for TV movies.  She currently appears in the CBS television series Flashpoint.  The former gymnast and pink ranger also sings and plays both guitar and piano; she was in a band called Valhalla, as well as a new group named "Amy Jo Johnson."  On a personal front, Johnson had a baby girl, Francesca Christine Giner, on December 1, 2008 with fiancée Olivier Giner.

The Blue Ranger—Billy (David Yost)

After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ended and Power Rangers: Zeo began in the fourth season, Yost stayed on to continue his role as Billy Cranston. Instead of his previous role as a Power Ranger, he became a technical advisor to the others.  Allegedly as a result of a pay dispute due to his reduced role, Yost left the show in the end of the fourth season (in fact, his last episode used canned footage and another actor to play Billy).  Since leaving the show, the actor has had minor roles in a few movies (Ladykiller, After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped).  Lately, he has focused on the production side of the business.  (The Mary Kay Letourneau, Alien Hunter and Temptation Island) He has worked as the director of production from the SciFi Channel's Sci-Fi Lab and as the manager of licensing for Pioneer Entertainment.

The Red Ranger — Jason (Austin St. John)

Who says you can never go home.  St. John's first major role in acting was in 1993 when he was cast as Jason Lee Scott, the Red Ranger. He left the series mid-season two due to a contract and pay dispute. However, he returned as the Gold Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo and as a guest star in the second Power Rangers movie.  He also appeared in tenth anniversary episode where he joined nine other Red Rangers in the Power Rangers Wild Force episode "Forever Red."  As a fellow writer, I should also note that Austin St. John is the author of the book Karate Warrior: A Beginner's Guide to Martial Arts. He is currently a paramedic in Washington DC.

The Black Ranger – Zack (Walter Jones)

Jones was written out of the series midway through the second season, apparently due to disagreements over wages and fee, and was replaced by Johnny Yong Bosch.  Jones  has since returned to Power Rangers (as the voice of " Hexuba's Nightmare Monster" in Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy and the Forever Red episode of Power Rangers: Wild Force playing a villain named Gerrok).  Since Power Rangers, Jones has had guest appearances on a variety of shows, including Age of Love, Buffy, The Shield, CSI, Moesha, NYPD, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Family Matter and Step by Step.  Jones had major roles in the independent movies, The Dogwalker and Backyard Dogs, and the Nickelodeon series Space Cases.  WHNT news reports that, on Sunday, July 26th 2009, Jones was arrested for DUI in Huntsville Alabama.

The Yellow Ranger  –  Trini (Thuy Trang)

The research on this one did not end happy.  Trang was on the show for about one and a half seasons. She left the show along with Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones, with whom she became very good friends, and was replaced by Karan Ashley. She went on to play Kali, one of the lead villains in the 1996 movie The Crow: City of Angels.  In 1997 it was incorrectly reported that she died in a car accident.  However, four years later, Trang die in a car accident.  On September 3, 2001, she and former actress/model Angela Rockwood-Nguyen (Dustin Nguyen's wife) were in an accident when the driver lost control.  Rockwood-Nguyen became a quadriplegic and Trang died. The episode "Circuit Unsure" of Power Rangers: Time Force was dedicated to her memory.

Trang's cremated remains are interred at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.  A tribute site can be found here.

Well, that certainly ended things on a somber note.  Hope the other information was at least interesting.

PS: For you Tommy fans.  Jason David Frank, who has been more ranger colors then Zorro the Gay Blade (He has been the green ranger, white ranger, red ranger, and black ranger in various series), has left the acting and currently owns and operates his own martial arts school in Los Angeles. He is the founder of the martial art "Toso Kune Do."