Danielle Spencer dies at 60 former Dee on Whats Happening

Obituary and career review of Danielle Spencer, the child actor who played Dee on Whats Happening

Danielle Spencer Dies at 60 Former Dee on Whats Happening

Danielle Spencer died at 60 in a Richmond Virginia hospital, according to co star Haywood Nelson who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter. Spencer was best known for playing Dee Thomas on the ABC sitcom What Happening which aired in the late 1970s. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and had a double mastectomy. In 2018 she underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a bleeding hematoma from a car accident in 1976. Because she lacked health insurance at a difficult time her loved ones set up a GoFundMe page that raised over 10 000 dollars to cover medical expenses. Born in June 1965 she grew up with her mother Cheryl and stepfather Tim Pelt and began acting at age 7 with early work in Serpico and Harry and Tonto before earning the Dee role at age 11.

Spencer reprised the Dee role in the What Happening Now show which ran for three seasons. After the sitcoms ended she, along with her family, moved to California to pursue education and a new path. She later attended UC Davis and UCLA and then veterinary school at Tuskegee University. She worked as a veterinarian for two decades before moving to Virginia where she hosted a pet care segment for a local television station. She is survived by her mother and her brother Jeremy, a jazz musician.

The piece highlights how a beloved child star won lasting cultural recognition while also facing the fragility that can come with late life medical costs. It foregrounds Spencer as a performer who crossed from a famous youth role into a varied later life, including veterinary work and media appearances, painting a fuller portrait than a single show could capture. The GoFundMe detail underlines a broader issue in which actors outside major unions can rely on private networks for health care when insurance lapses. This raises questions about support systems for former child stars and the need for safeguards as lives extend beyond peak fame.

The reporting also leans into human interest by tracing family background and education, offering a lens on how public memory meets private resilience. Her story invites readers to consider not only a character Dee but a real person who navigated health challenges with courage and found a second act away from the spotlight, a reminder that performance is just one chapter in a life story.

Highlights

Spencer remains a reminder that public memory outlives the credits.