Danielle Spencer, best known for her role as the sharp-tongued Dee Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What’s Happening!!, passed away on August 11, 2025, at the age of 60 in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Her death followed a long battle with breast cancer, which she was first diagnosed with in 2014. She underwent a double mastectomy that year and was declared cancer-free, but faced further health challenges, including emergency brain surgery in 2018 for a bleeding hematoma linked to a 1977 car accident. Her What’s Happening!! co-star Haywood Nelson announced her passing on Instagram, describing her as a “brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior” and a “cancer heroine.”
Key Details:
- Career: Spencer rose to fame at age 11 as Dee Thomas, the sassy younger sister of Roger “Raj” Thomas, known for her catchphrase, “Ooooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!” She starred in all three seasons of What’s Happening!! (1976–1979) and reprised her role in the sequel series What’s Happening Now!! (1985–1988). Her role earned her a place in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2014 as the first Black female child star to regularly appear on a TV series.
- Health Struggles: In 1977, during the show’s second season, Spencer survived a severe car accident that killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt, and left her in a coma for three weeks. She recovered after six months of physical therapy. Later, she faced spinal stenosis in 2004, causing temporary paralysis, and breast cancer in 2014.
- Post-Acting Life: After What’s Happening!!, Spencer pursued veterinary medicine, earning a doctorate from Tuskegee University in 1993. She worked as a veterinarian in Los Angeles and later Richmond, Virginia, where she hosted a pet care segment on WTVR-TV. She also wrote a memoir, Through the Fire: Journal of a Child Star (2010), and made occasional acting appearances, including in As Good as It Gets (1997).
- Survivors: Spencer is survived by her mother, Cheryl Pelt, and her brother, jazz musician Jeremy Pelt, who paid tribute to her on Instagram, noting her positivity and role as a protector and friend.
Legacy:
Spencer’s portrayal of Dee Thomas left a lasting cultural impact, celebrated for its humor and trailblazing representation. Her resilience through personal and health challenges, combined with her veterinary career and advocacy for animal rights, made her a multifaceted figure admired beyond her acting fame.
Tags: Danielle Spencer, What’s Happening!!, Dee Thomas, breast cancer, child star, veterinarian, Black sitcom, TV history, health struggles, obituary