Danielle Spencer, known for playing Dee Thomas on the groundbreakingsitcomWhat’s Happening!!, has died. Spencer largely retired from acting as an adult, becoming a successful veterinarian. She died at age 60 after a years-long struggle with breast cancer. her death was announced by her longtime friend and co-starHaywood Nelsonon Instagram.
Spencer was born on June 03, 2025, and grew up in New York City; her stepfather,Tim Pelt, was an actor, and she got into the business early, making her debut at age 7. She had uncredited bit parts in a number of New York-shot films of the 1970s, including theAl Pacinopolice-corruption dramaSerpicoand the Oscar-winningArt Carneyroad trip filmHarry and Tonto. When she was 11, she landed a leading role on the ABC sitcomWhat’s Happening!!, which was the first-ever network TV show to focus on Black teenagers. She and her family relocated to California for the role.
Who Is Dee Thomas?
Created byEric Monte(The Jeffersons,Good Times),What’s Happening!!was loosely based on the seminal 1975 teen dramedyCooley High: it centered around Raj Thomas (Ernest Thomas), a free-spirited teenager in Watts, Los Angeles. Dee Thomas was his precocious and sarcastic little sister, who was wise beyond her years and enjoyed meddling in the lives of her brother and his two troublemaking friends, the affable Dwayne (Nelson) and the goofball rerun (Fred Berry). The show dealt with a number of serious issues affecting the African-American community in the 1970s, while still maintaining a goodnatured sense of humor. The show was a ratings hit when it premiered in 1976, but it was cancelled in 1979 after three seasons, following a salary dispute with Thomas and Berry. The whole cast returned in 1985 forWhat’s Happening Now!!, a reunion series; Dee was now a college student, while her brother was married and starting a family of his own. It ran for three seasons in first-run syndication.
Spencer’s life was marred by tragedy in 1977; while en route to a movie theater, she and her stepfather were in a serious car accident. He was killed, and she was seriously injured, leaving her with chronic pain issues. Although she returned forWhat’s Happening Now!!while she was attending college, she left acting behind to become a veterinarian. She did appear in 1997’sAs Good as It Getsin a small role as a veterinarian.
In 2014, she was inducted into the permanent collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture; that same year, unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and battled the disease for over a decade before passing away yesterday in Richmond, Virginia. We send our condolences to Danielle Spencer’s friends and family.
