Danielle Spencer's Cause of Death Revealed
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Danielle Spencer, the former child actor best known for playing Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom What's Happening!!, died on Monday at the age of 60.
The actress' death was due to gastric cancer and cardiac arrest, family friend and spokesperson Sandra Jones confirmed to ABC News.
The Context
Spencer starred in 65 episodes of What's Happening!! (1976–1979) and reprised her role in the sequel What's Happening Now!! (1985–1988). The shows were among the early American television programs to follow the lives of Black teenagers.
She later earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993 and practiced in the Richmond, Virginia, area after relocating there from California in 2014, according to ABC News.
(L) Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show "What's Happening!!" poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Danielle Spencer, circa 1988.
(L) Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show "What's Happening!!" poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. (R) Danielle Spencer, circa 1988.
Michael; Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer
What To Know
Spencer died on August 11 at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond.
Prior to her death, the sitcom star had a history of health issues. In 1977, Spencer was involved in a car accident that killed her stepfather and manager, Tim Pelt, her website bio states. She was in a coma for three weeks and had broken bones in her arm, leg and pelvis. Decades later, the injuries she endured left her wheelchair-bound, and she underwent physical therapy to learn how to walk again.
In 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and in 2018, she had emergency surgery to relieve bleeding in the brain.
Spencer was inducted into the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, marking the first time a child star received the honor.
"I still can't believe it," she told BlackAmericaWeb.com in 2014. "That's something people can look at for years to come, long after I'm gone."
What People Are Saying
Sandra Jones told ABC News on Tuesday: "This untimely death is really hard to process right now. She is a sweet and gentle soul and she is going to be missed very, very much."
Jeremy Pelt, Spencer's brother and jazz musician, penned a lengthy message to his sister via Instagram: "August 11, 2025 will forever be a reminder of the day that I lost a big part of myself. After many years, my big sister, Dr. Danielle Louise Spencer lost her battle with cancer."
"Many of you knew her as 'Dee,' but she was more than a child actress. She was a friend, an auntie to my three children who adored her, she was a daughter- and in many ways, my mother's best friend, she was a veterinarian, she was someone who always remained positive even during her darkest days fighting this disease. And she was MY sister and protector."
"My immediate family, of which there were only three of us had an unusual knack for always being connected even if we weren't always in contact with each other. Dani and I- our bond got stronger the older I (in particular) got. She's 11 years older than me. I used to relish our texts back and forth using unfiltered 'real' talk."
"She positively LOVED Milo, Charlie and Amma and constantly dreamed of a time they'd all be visiting her and 'Mimi' (grandmother). The times they made it down south, she was always so encouraging. Always so uplifting. I'm rambling...I'm so fucking lost...so fucking gutted... I watched her take her last breath... I'm thankful for that."
"I love you, forever."
Haywood Nelson, Spencer's What's Happening!! co-star, wrote on Instagram: "Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them and we all have this family's - Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 - August 11, 2025)."
"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."
What Happens Next
Spencer is survived by her brother, Jeremy Pelt, and mother, Cheryl Pelt.
At the time of writing, no public memorial or funeral plans have been announced.
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