Danielle Spencer, a fan favorite for her role as Dee Thomas on the classic sitcom What’s Happening!!, has passed away.
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Spencer died on Monday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, as confirmed by her What’s Happening!! co-star, Haywood Nelson, to The Hollywood Reporter.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy in 2014. In 2018, she had emergency surgery to address brain bleeding. A GoFundMe page was created to help cover her medical expenses.
“She suffered for a very long time but did it with a great deal of courage,” Nelson told THR.
Spencer was 60 years old.
What’s Happening!! was loosely inspired by the 1975 film Cooley High, written by Eric Monte, who also created the sitcom set in Watts. Following a successful four-week trial run in August 1976, the comedy returned in November and went on to air for two additional seasons on ABC.
Spencer played Dee, the younger sister of Roger “Raj” Thomas (Ernest Thomas) and daughter of Mabel (Mabel King), known for her catchphrase, “Ooooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!” Meanwhile, Nelson played the practical Dwayne on the show.
She returned to the role in the sequel What’s Happening Now!, which premiered in 1985 and ran for three more seasons.
Danielle Spencer was an Avid Animal Lover and Became a Veterinarian in 1993
An animal lover, Spencer became a veterinarian in 1993. Just a few years later, she was cast as a vet in the 1997 film, As Good as It Gets, alongside Jack Nicholson.
“She had a great love of animals; she was like Betty White in that way,” Nelson told THR.
Danielle Luise Spencer, born on June 24, 1965, in New York City, began acting at age 7 in a repertory company co-founded by her stepfather, actor Tim Pelt. She was also raised by her mother, Cheryl, a French teacher.
She appeared in uncredited minor roles in films like Serpico (1973) and Harry and Tonto (1974) before securing a breakthrough role in What’s Happening!! at the age of 11. This opportunity brought her and her family to California.
“I had never seen any young black girl in that type of spotlight, so I didn’t have a reference point in the media as to how to deal with this opportunity,” Spencer recalled to Jet in 2014. “I was from the Bronx. What I did was use my own family as the reference on how to portray my character.”
Spencer was Involved in a Tragic Car Accident in 1977
In September 1977, Spencer was in a five-car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The crash killed her stepfather, who was driving, and left her in intensive care for several weeks.
After What’s Happening Now! was canceled, Spencer moved to the Ivory Coast with her family. She later pursued her education at UC Davis, UCLA, and Tuskegee University, earning a veterinary medicine doctorate in 1993.
Ten years later, Spencer developed a spinal condition, possibly from her car accident, that left her paralyzed from the waist down for months.
Spencer spent 20 years as a veterinarian in the Los Angeles area before moving to Richmond in 2014. There, she became a familiar face on WTVR-TV, where she hosted a regular morning segment on pet care.
In 2014, she was also honored with induction into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
She is survived by her mother and her brother Jeremy, a jazz musician.