Actress Who Played Dee From “What’s Happening” TV Sitcom Has Died at Age 60

Nationwide — Danielle Spencer, the beloved actress best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What’s Happening!!, has died at the age of 60. Spencer passed away Monday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, her co-star Haywood Nelson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. Nelson praised her resilience, saying, “She suffered for a very long time but did it with a great deal of courage.”

Born Danielle Luise Spencer on June 24, 1965, in New York City, she was raised by her mother, Cheryl, a French teacher, and her stepfather, actor Tim Pelt. She began acting at age seven in a repertory company co-founded by Pelt and landed uncredited roles in films like Serpico (1973) and Harry and Tonto (1974). At just 11 years old, she was cast as Dee, the wisecracking younger sister of Roger “Raj” Thomas (Ernest Thomas), on What’s Happening!!, famously delivering the catchphrase, “Ooooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!” She later reprised the role in the sequel series What’s Happening Now! in 1985.

Her life was marked by both triumph and tragedy. In 1977, Spencer was in a car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway that killed her stepfather and left her hospitalized for weeks. Despite the setback, she pursued higher education, attending UC Davis, UCLA, and eventually Tuskegee University, where she earned her doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1993. She went on to work as a veterinarian for two decades in Los Angeles before relocating to Richmond in 2014, where she appeared in a regular pet care segment for CBS affiliate WTVR-TV.

Spencer’s career extended beyond acting and veterinary work. She was cast by James L. Brooks in As Good as It Gets (1997) as a veterinarian—a role reflecting her real-life passion for animals, a passion Nelson compared to that of Betty White. In 2014, she was inducted into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for her contributions to television.

Her health struggles were significant. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy in 2014. In 2018, she required emergency brain surgery, and earlier in her life, she battled a spinal condition that left her temporarily paralyzed. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help cover her mounting medical expenses.

Spencer is survived by her mother and her brother, Jeremy, a jazz musician. Reflecting on her philosophy of life in a 2016 interview, she advised others to focus on joy and personal fulfillment: “You really have to live life for you at that minute. 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.”