Danielle Spencer, best known for playing the wisecracking, tattletale little sister Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom What’s Happening!!, died on Monday at age 60. Her former co-star, Haywood Nelson, announced the news on Instagram the following day.
“Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior,” he wrote. “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.”
What’s Happening!! was among the first television shows to focus on the lives of Black teenagers. It aired on ABC from 1976 to 1979 and left a lasting legacy thanks to its memorable characters.
Spencer brought to life the sharper, more serious younger sister who delivered a steady stream of deadpan roasts to her geeky big brother Roger “Raj” Thomas, and his friends, the catchphrase-spouting Dwayne Nelson and the dancing phenom Freddie “Rerun” Stubbs.
Her catchphrase, “Ooh, I’m gonna tell mama,” became a hallmark of the show.
Child Actor to Vet
Spencer began acting at about 9 years old with What’s Happening!! marking her first credited role. At age 12, during the first season’s production, Spencer survived a major car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu that left her in a coma for three weeks.
The crash caused lasting spinal and neurological problems that required multiple surgeries over the years. Her stepfather, Tim Pelt, lost his life in the crash.
Spencer reprised her role in the mid-1980s reboot What’s Happening Now!!, which ran for three seasons.
She went on to earn her doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993, following her attendance at the University of California, Davis, and UCLA. She built a second career as a veterinarian and advocate for animals, even appearing as one in the 1997 film As Good as It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson.
In 2018, Spencer underwent emergency surgery for a bleeding hematoma stemming from her 1977 accident.
She had struggled with mobility since at least 2004, when she began using a wheelchair and had to relearn how to walk.
Diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy in 2014. In 2018, she underwent emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in her brain.
Family spokesperson Sandra Jones said Spencer passed away at a Richmond, Virginia, hospital after her long battle with cancer. She is survived by her brother, musician Jeremy Pelt, and her mother, Cheryl Pelt.
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