Latest news with #What'sHappening!
4 days ago
- Entertainment
'What's Happening!!' star Danielle Spencer dies at 60
Danielle Spencer, a former child actor best known for her role as Dee in the 1970s sitcom "What's Happening!!", has died, a publicist for her family confirmed to ABC News. Spencer died Aug. 11, after a battle with cancer. She was 60, according to Sandra Jones, a family friend who is serving as the family's spokesperson. "This untimely death is really hard to process right now," Jones told ABC News Tuesday. "She is a sweet and gentle soul and she is going to be missed very, very much." Spencer starred in 65 episodes of "What's Happening!!", an ABC sitcom about three teenage boys growing up in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts, according to IMDb. Spencer played Dee Thomas, the boys' younger sister. She also appeared in 16 episodes of the show's sequel, "What's Happening Now!" In 1977, Spencer survived a fatal car crash that killed her stepfather and manager, Tim Pelt, according to her biography on her website. After recovering from her injuries, Spencer went onto earn a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine in 1993. She moved from California to the Richmond, Virginia, area in 2014. At the time of her death, she lived with her mom in an area outside of Richmond, according to Jones. In addition to her mom, Cheryl Pelt, Spencer is also survived by her younger brother, jazz musician Jeremy Pelt. Jeremy Pelt shared a tribute to his sister on Instagram Tuesday, writing, "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," he continued. "And she was MY sister and protector." He added that he was "thankful" to be with his sister when she took her last breath and was "gutted" by her death, writing, "I love you, forever." In a 2016 interview with a local Richmond TV station, Spencer reflected on her acting career being featured at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. "I seriously can't even digest it," Spencer said. "I mean, first of all, that the show is remembered from 40 years [ago], but then also to be featured in this museum along with other shows that have been trailblazers." Spencer said that her late stepfather brought her into the world of acting. At age 9, she said she got the call that she had won the role of Dee in "What's Happening!!" "A month later I got a phone call, and they said, 'Fly out to California. You have the role.' And it was just like my life changed," she said.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Danielle Spencer, 'What's Happening!!' child star, dead at 60: 'Forever embraced'
Danielle Spencer, a child star best known for her role on the ABC sitcom "What's Happening!!" in the 1970s, has reportedly died. She was 60. Spencer died Aug. 11, according to CBS 6 and Forbes. The actress's death followed a prolonged battle with cancer, CBS 6 reported. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, though she later recovered. It's not clear whether her death resulted from the same illness. "I came into the room, there were about five doctors in there," she said in an interview with CBS at the time, "So that scared the living daylights out of me. And they told me I had breast cancer." Following the diagnosis, she told the outlet she opted for a double mastectomy. She added that chemotherapy took longer because of a car accident years prior that left parts of her body paralyzed. Olivia Munn reveals breast cancer diagnosis, underwent double mastectomy On "What's Happening!!" Spencer turned herself into a household name at just 11 years old, playing the sassy and quick-witted Dee Thomas. The show ran for three seasons in the mid-70s and later returned for a revival, "What's Happening Now!!" which aired from 1985 to 1988. Her time on the show made her the first black female child to star regularly in a television series, a distinction honored in an exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Opting for a career off-screen after her sitcom run, she attended school to study veterinary science and became a vet in 1996, serving the Richmond, Virginia, area until her death. Haywood Nelson, who appeared alongside Spencer in "What's Happening!!" took to Instagram to mourn his former co-star. "Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms," Haywood wrote in an Aug. 12 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. 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," he added. "Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Danielle Spencer, Dee from 'What's Hapenning!!', dead at 60 Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Danielle Spencer, 'What's Happening!!' child star, dead at 60: 'Forever embraced'
Danielle Spencer, a child star best known for her role on the ABC sitcom "What's Happening!!" in the 1970s, has reportedly died. She was 60. Spencer died Aug. 11, according to CBS 6 and Forbes. The actress's death followed a prolonged battle with cancer, CBS 6 reported. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, though she later recovered. It's not clear whether her death resulted from the same illness. "I came into the room, there were about five doctors in there," she said in an interview with CBS at the time, "So that scared the living daylights out of me. And they told me I had breast cancer." Following the diagnosis, she told the outlet she opted for a double mastectomy. She added that chemotherapy took longer because of a car accident years prior that left parts of her body paralyzed. Olivia Munn reveals breast cancer diagnosis, underwent double mastectomy On "What's Happening!!" Spencer turned herself into a household name at just 11 years old, playing the sassy and quick-witted Dee Thomas. The show ran for three seasons in the mid-70s and later returned for a revival, "What's Happening Now!!" which aired from 1985 to 1988. Her time on the show made her the first black female child to star regularly in a television series, a distinction honored in an exhibit at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Opting for a career off-screen after her sitcom run, she attended school to study veterinary science and became a vet in 1996, serving the Richmond, Virginia, area until her death. Haywood Nelson, who appeared alongside Spencer in "What's Happening!!" took to Instagram to mourn his former co-star. "Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms," Haywood wrote in an Aug. 12 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. 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," he added. "Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced."
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Danielle Spencer passes away at Virginia hospital: How did Sassy Young Star of What's Happening die?
Danielle Spencer, who portrayed enthusiastic child Dee Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! in the 1970s, died at the age of 60. Danielle Spencer passed away at 60 Haywood Nelson, her What's Happening! co-star, informed The Hollywood Reporter that Spencer passed away on Monday in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia. She had a double mastectomy in 2014 after being diagnosed with breast cancer. She also underwent emergency surgery in 2018 to avert cerebral hemorrhage. A GoFundMe site was established to assist her in covering her medical costs.
