Danielle Spencer, the beloved actress who played Dee Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What’s Happening!!, has died at the age of 60, marking the end of a remarkable journey that spanned television stardom, personal adversity, and a second career devoted to animal welfare. Spencer passed away on Monday, August 11, 2025, in a Richmond, Virginia hospital, as confirmed by Fox News Digital. Her death, following a long and courageous fight with cancer and other health challenges, sent ripples of grief and remembrance through the entertainment world and beyond.
Spencer’s story is one of resilience and reinvention. Born June 24, 1965, Danielle Spencer shot to fame as the wisecracking Dee Thomas, the younger sister of Raj Thomas (played by Ernest Lee Thomas) on What’s Happening!! The show, which aired from 1976 to 1979, became a touchstone of Black television, and Spencer’s catchphrase—“Ooooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!”—is etched into sitcom history. She later reprised the role in the spinoff What’s Happening Now!! from 1985 to 1987, further cementing her place in pop culture.
But behind the laughter, Spencer’s life was marked by extraordinary challenges. At just 12 years old, during the first season of What’s Happening!!, she was involved in a devastating car crash that left her with lifelong spinal and neurological problems. According to Men’s Journal, the injuries impaired her walking for years, yet she persevered both professionally and personally.
Her health struggles did not end there. In 2014, Spencer was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Four years later, she required emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in her brain. To help cover mounting medical expenses, friends and fans rallied to support her through a GoFundMe campaign. Through it all, those close to her marveled at her fortitude. “She suffered for a very long time but did it with a great deal of courage,” co-star Haywood Nelson told Fox News Digital.
Nelson, who played the affable Dwayne on What’s Happening!!, was among the first to announce Spencer’s passing, sharing his grief and admiration in a heartfelt Instagram post. “Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body,” Nelson wrote. “We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer. 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.”
Ernest Lee Thomas, who played Raj Thomas, also paid tribute, sharing a throwback photo of himself with Spencer at a film festival. In the image, Spencer, leaning on crutches but radiant in a glamorous gown, symbolized both the toll of her health battles and her enduring spirit. “No more suffering for my baby sister DR. DANIELLE SPENCER,” Thomas wrote on Instagram. “She decided at 9 years old I was going to be her big brother for life… I am happy she was with her mother and brother when she transitioned. I thank GOD for giving me 49 years of a supernatural friendship, millions of laughs, countless days worshiping our Savior CHRIST JESUS. Grateful but full of tears.”
Spencer’s transition from television to veterinary medicine was as inspiring as her on-screen performances. In 1993, she earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tuskegee University Veterinary School in Alabama, according to her official website. She devoted the next chapter of her life to caring for animals, earning comparisons to Betty White for her compassion and advocacy. “She had a great love of animals, she was like Betty White in that way,” Nelson recalled. Spencer herself explained her passion in a 1985 interview with Amsterdam News: “I’ve always had a knack for caring for animals and I’ve always been interested in chemistry, bacteriology and about the body.”
Her commitment to uplifting others shone through in her public statements. During a 2016 interview with Hers, Spencer offered advice that now resonates as both a personal credo and a universal reminder: “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.”
Spencer’s death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from her friends and colleagues. Holly Robinson Peete, an actress and longtime friend, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Oh, this is just gutting. 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…”
For fans of What’s Happening!!, Spencer’s passing marks the loss of a cherished part of television history. With her death, Thomas and Nelson are now the last surviving main cast members of the show. Their enduring friendship, forged over decades and tested by personal hardships, stands as a testament to the bonds formed both on and off the screen.
Spencer’s legacy extends far beyond her acting credits. Her perseverance in the face of adversity, her dedication to healing—whether through laughter or veterinary care—and her advocacy for animal rights have inspired countless admirers. “We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, ‘What’s Happening’ cast member, veterinarian, animal rights proponent, healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero,” Nelson wrote, encapsulating the breadth of Spencer’s impact.
As friends, fans, and former colleagues mourn her loss, many recall Spencer’s trademark wit and warmth, her unwavering optimism, and her refusal to be defined by hardship. Her journey from child star to healer, marked by both pain and purpose, leaves a legacy that is both singular and enduring.
Danielle Spencer’s story reminds us that life’s hardships can be met with grace, that second acts are possible, and that the truest measure of a life may be found in the joy and care we bring to others—on stage, in the clinic, and in the hearts of those we touch.
