Fans are in mourning following the news that actress Danielle Spencer, best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom “What’s Happening!!” passed away on Aug. 12.
The former child star succumbed to a years-long battle with cancer at a Richmond, Virginia, hospital. She was 60.
Spencer had been battling for weeks in a Virginia hospital since her Aug. 1 admission, her mother, Cheryl Pelt, told TMZ. Surrounded by family, she was last alert and speaking on Sunday, Aug. 10, despite battling three separate illnesses.
According to her mother, Spencer was unable to eat hard foods or even get nutrients through tube feeding after turning septic from a urinary tract infection.
Pelt said her daughter went into “code blue” and became unresponsive. Medical staff attempted to revive her, eventually finding a pulse before transferring her to the ICU for more specialized treatment. Despite their efforts, her condition worsened.
Her co-star Haywood Nelson confirmed the news on Instagram. “Our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body,” the actor, who played Dwayne Clemens Nelson, wrote.
In the comments, a follower remarked, “Oh No not Dee!! Sending my deepest condolences to get family! May she RIParadise.” A second fan wrote that they were “truly grateful for the talented young actress Danielle Spencer was, who brought me and siblings a lot of joy and laughter in our childhoods.”
Spencer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and underwent a double mastectomy in 2018 — but that is just one of the health complications she faced in her lifetime.
She starred on the Eric Monte series for three years, from 1976 to 1979. Her career, though, was nearly derailed in 1977 when she and her stepfather, Tim Pelt, were involved in a pileup incident on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
She suffered a broken pelvis and a broken leg and arm and was in a coma for three weeks. Pelt tragically did not survive the shocking tangle, leaving lasting implications on Spencer’s health. Still, she returned to work in 1985 to reprise her role as Dee on “What’s Happening Now!!”
Spencer starred alongside Ernest Thomas as Raj and Haywood Nelson as Dwayne. Sadly, some of the original cast members have passed away, including Mabel King (Mabel “Mama” Thomas, December 25, 1932 – November 9, 1999), Shirley Hemphill (July 1, 1947 – December 10, 1999), and Fred Berry (Rerun, March 19, 1951 – October 21, 2003).
The show ended after three seasons in 1987. The New Jersey native would go on to become a veterinarian, earning a doctorate degree from Tuskegee University. By 2014, she was paralyzed from the waist down, having already suffered from severe back issues for a decade.
Oh my heart. God Speed Danielle Spencer.
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) August 12, 2025
I don't know if there was a better child sitcom character than Dee from What's Happening.
Her delivery was sublime.
pic.twitter.com/11EbfeRro5
A GoFundMe was organized in 2019 to assist the actress with medical costs after she suffered for 42 years with debilitating headaches. That year, she underwent emergency brain surgery for a bleeding hematoma. Donors raised more than $10,000 to help with her rehabilitation.
She made infrequent appearances on screen before her passing, including in the movie “As Good as It Gets” and an episode of “Days of Our Lives.”
Still Spencer’s passing was felt by many fans online. “This hurts my. Loved this show and she went through too much in life. She accomplished so much. Rest in Paradise,” wrote one person. Another said, “Oh no!!! I grew up watching her on What’s Happening. R.I.P. Danielle Thomas!!!”
