Danielle Spencer, the child actress who played the sharp-tongued younger sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom “What’s Happening!!,” died Monday at age 60 following a prolonged battle with cancer. Spencer passed away at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, from gastric cancer and cardiac arrest.
Family spokesperson Sandra Jones confirmed Spencer’s death to multiple news outlets, stating the actress had been hospitalized since August 1 after a urinary tract infection turned septic. Spencer was unable to eat solid foods during her final days and required nutrition and medication through tubes. She also developed pneumonia in both lungs while her gastric cancer progressed.
Spencer’s mother, Cheryl Pelt, revealed her daughter was talking and alert on Sunday before suffering a “code blue” medical emergency. Doctors found a pulse and transferred her to intensive care, but her heart continued to weaken. Spencer died on August 11, surrounded by family members including her brother, jazz musician Jeremy Pelt.
The actress rose to fame playing Dee Thomas on “What’s Happening!!”, which aired on ABC from 1976 to 1979. The show was among the first American television programs to focus on the lives of Black teenagers, set in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. Spencer’s character was known for her deadpan roasts of her older brother Roger “Raj” Thomas and his friends, with “Ooh, I’m gonna tell mama” becoming her signature catchphrase.
During the production of the show’s first season in 1977, Spencer, then 12 years old, was involved in a devastating car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. The crash left her in a coma for three weeks and killed her stepfather and manager, Tim Pelt. Spencer suffered broken bones in her arm, leg, and pelvis, leading to lifelong spinal and neurological problems that would require multiple surgeries.
The injuries from the 1977 accident continued to affect Spencer throughout her life. In 2004, she was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and eventually became wheelchair-bound, requiring physical therapy to relearn how to walk. In 2018, she underwent emergency surgery for a bleeding hematoma that stemmed from the original car crash. Her health challenges were compounded in 2014 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy.
Despite her health struggles, Spencer pursued her dream of becoming a veterinarian after her acting career slowed. She attended the University of California, Davis, and UCLA before earning a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993. She practiced veterinary medicine in the Los Angeles area for over two decades before moving to Virginia in 2013 to live with her mother due to declining health.
Spencer reprised her role as Dee Thomas in the mid-1980s reboot “What’s Happening Now!!,” which ran for three seasons. She also made a notable appearance as a veterinarian in the 1997 Jack Nicholson film “As Good as it Gets.” In 2014, Spencer became the first child actor to be inducted into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Her former co-star Haywood Nelson, who played Dwayne on the show, announced Spencer’s death on Instagram. Nelson described her as “our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior” and praised her contributions as an actress, veterinarian, and cancer fighter. He indicated Spencer had found release from her suffering after a long battle with the disease.
Ernest Lee Thomas, who portrayed Spencer’s on-screen brother Raj, shared an emotional tribute describing their 49-year friendship. He noted that Spencer decided at nine years old that he would be her big brother for life, and expressed gratitude for their supernatural friendship and countless shared memories.
Jeremy Pelt, Spencer’s younger brother by 11 years, wrote extensively about his sister’s death on social media. He emphasized that while many knew her as “Dee,” she was much more than a child actress—she was a friend, aunt, daughter, veterinarian, and someone who remained positive even during her darkest days fighting cancer. Pelt revealed he was present when his sister took her last breath and described feeling lost and gutted by the experience.
Spencer is survived by her mother Cheryl Pelt and brother Jeremy Pelt. Born in New Jersey and raised in the Bronx, she became a beloved figure in television history through her portrayal of the wise-cracking Dee Thomas. Her character’s eye-rolls and icy stares became iconic elements of the groundbreaking sitcom that helped pave the way for diverse representation on television.