On August 11, 2025, Danielle Spencer passed away at the age of 60. However, she has immortalised herself with her iconic character of ‘Dee Thomas’ in the popular sitcom, What’s Happening! After charming the world with her acting skills, Danielle turned her focus towards helping animals and became a veterinarian. With a life with many ups and downs, she fought bravely with all the hardships, and after a prolonged fight with breast cancer, Danielle left the world for the heavenly abode. In remembrance of her, here’s a look at Danielle Spencer’s life story.
Danielle Spencer started taking acting classes at eight years old and made her debut at 11 years
Danielle Spencer was born on June 24, 1965, in Trenton, U.S.A. to Cheryl Pelt and her anonymous husband, whom she divorced. As Danielle was very young during her parents’ separation, she considered her stepfather, Tim Pelt, to be her dad. The family shifted to New York. And Danielle became an actress around this time, at the age of eight. She started taking acting classes. In 1976, Spencer was cast as ‘Dee Thomas’ on the show What’s Happening!!, which was inspired by the film, Cooley High.
Danielle Spencer lost her stepfather in an accident, who was trying to save her
What’s Happening!! was supposed to be a mid-season replacement, but the show became so popular that it became a full season later. Danielle as ‘Dee Thomas’ was well-loved as well. However, during the shooting of the second season, Danielle and her stepfather, Tim, got into a severe car accident. The child actress was in a coma for a few weeks, and Tim unfortunately lost his life while trying to save Danielle. She also had to take physical therapy for six months.
Danielle Spencer became a veterinarian
After the show was cancelled in 1979, Danielle and her mother went away to Africa for a while. After returning, she attended the University of California-Davis to earn a degree in veterinary medicine. This was something her late stepfather had once encouraged her to study. While she was in college, What’s Happening!! returned with a sequel What’s Happening Now!! in 1985. Danielle reprised her role as ‘Dee Thomas’ in the sequel series while she was in college. However, What’s Happening Now!! was cancelled in 1988. The actress then attended veterinary School in Alabama and became a veterinarian in 1996.
Danielle Spencer stepped into the public eye again
Danielle had once written and published a book telling her story as a child star. The book was named Through the Fire: Journal of a Child Star and it very popular which led Danielle to stepping into the spotlight again with appearances in shows like The Wendy Williams Show. She also became the only former child actress to be inducted into a permanent exhibition in the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Danielle Spencer’s continuous battle with chronic pain and cancer diagnosis
The injuries that Danielle suffered from in the accident years ago continued to give her a lot of pain. In 2004, she was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, which resulted from her accident in 1977. For the unversed, in this condition, the spinal canal narrows abnormally, which leads to pressure on the spinal cord. Danielle went for surgery to correct the issue, but life threw another obstacle at her. After the surgery, she was left paralysed for eight months.
Danielle was then diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, which took her by surprise. The actress fought a long battle with cancer and also underwent an emergency surgery in 2018. To raise funds for her extensive medical expenses, a GoFundMe page was started for Danielle. Shocked by her breast cancer diagnosis, she said in an interview with Black America Web:
“With everything that I’ve been through with the spinal cord injury, I said I know God is not going to give me another affliction, so I was completely shocked when the doctors told me.”
Danielle Spencer passed away at the age of 60
Haywood Nelson, who played the role of ‘Dwayne Nelson’ in What’s Happening!! and was Danielle’s co-star, shared the news of her passing away at the age of 60 in an Instagram post. Haywood revealed that the actress turned veterinarian had passed after a long battle with cancer. However, no official statement has been released revealing the exact cause of death, since many reports claim that Danielle had recovered from cancer. In mourning, the actor had penned down:
“Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body. 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.”
Condolences to all the loved ones of Danielle Spencer.
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