Former child star Danielle Spencer dies at 60

Danielle Spencer, the former child star known for her witty character Dee Thomas on What’s Happening!!, has died.

Forbes has reported that the actress died at the age of 60 on August 11. Her friend and co-star, Haywood Nelson, confirmed her passing in a statement on Instagram:

“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),” wrote Haywood Nelson. “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 continued,

“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.”

Everything we know about Danielle Spencer's life and legacy:

Danielle Spencer was born on June 24, 1965, in the Bronx, New York. She bagged her role on the ABC sitcom in 1976, initially just for the summer. However, when the show got revived, she reprised her role on a more regular basis.

Forbes has reported that on September 6, 1977, during season 2 of the show, the then-child star and her stepfather were involved in a harrowing car accident that left him dead and her recuperating for six months. She was eventually left with paralysis due to spinal stenosis.

By 2014, she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, though in 2018, she had overcome it. In 2018, she had reportedly been forced to undergo emergency brain surgery to rectify a bleeding hematoma, which was caused by the old car accident.

Apart from acting, Danielle Spencer was also an established veterinarian in her own right. As reported by Amsterdam News, back in 1985, during an interview with the AmNews, she opened up about majoring in the same at the University of California-Davis, where she enrolled in 1983:

“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.

She eventually graduated from the Tuskegee University Veterinary School in Alabama. Forbes has reported that she became a vet in 1996. She stayed out of Hollywood for the most part, with a rare interview every now and then.

In 2023, she gushed over her ABC series during an interview with BlackDoctor.org:

"I would like for it to be remembered as maybe one of the first shows that allowed people from all generations and racial backgrounds to come together and watch TV at the same time," she said. "Before that, it’s been said that white people didn’t watch a lot of the shows black people were on," Spencer continued. "But now, we have so many fans of all races that come up to us and say they really enjoyed What’s Happening! and how it reminds them of their childhood. That’s always a good thing when you can be reminded of the things you were raised with."

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