Danielle Spencer, who played Dee Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom “What’s Happening!!,” has died. She was 60.
Spencer died Monday in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
She was reportedly diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy in 2014, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In 2018, Spencer underwent emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in her brain.
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A GoFundMe page was set up to help her pay for her medical expenses at the time.
“She suffered for a very long time but did it with a great deal of courage,” her co-star Haywood Nelson told the outlet.
On Tuesday, Nelson took to social media to share the news.
“Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them and we all have this family’s – Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 – August 11, 2025),” he captioned a post on Instagram.
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“Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body. We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer.”
He added, “We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, ‘What’s Happening’ cast member, veterinarian, animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced.”
Holly Robinson Peete also paid tribute to her former pal on social media.
“Oh, this is just gutting,” the actress wrote on X. “I’m so sad to hear about the loss of this beautiful woman who I met in 1977 when we were just 13. We hit it off immediately. We went to junior high school together when she wasn’t taping ‘What’s Happening’ and I spent a lot of time on that set…”
Spencer played Dee, the younger sister of Roger “Raj” Thomas (Ernest Thomas) and daughter of Mabel (Mabel King). She was best known for her sassy saying, “Ooooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!”
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After wrapping her acting career, Spencer became a veterinarian in 1993.
“She had a great love of animals, she was like Betty White in that way,” Nelson said.
In a 1985 interview with the Amsterdam News, Spencer discussed her passion for her work.
“I’ve always had a knack for caring for animals and I’ve always been interested in chemistry, bacteriology and about the body,” she said.
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During a 2016 interview with Hers, Spencer opened up about the importance of doing what “is going to make you happy.”
“You really have to live life for you at that minute,” she said. “And just try to have fun. Be lighthearted and be happy while you’re here, because you never know when that time is going to end.”
Fox News Digital’s Larry Fink contributed to this post.
