Danielle Spencer, best known as the sassy “Dee Thomas” on What’s Happening!!, passed away on August 11, 2025, at age 60 following a courageous cancer battle. Her co-star Haywood Nelson called her a “brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior,” describing her as a “cancer heroine” and “Shero”.
A Remarkable Life Beyond the Screen
Danielle Spencer rose to fame as a child actor, capturing hearts with her witty one-liners and unforgettable catchphrase, “Ooooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!” on the hit ABC sitcom What’s Happening!! from 1976 to 1979; she later reprised the role on What’s Happening Now!! . Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in the Bronx, she started acting at just age 7 and quickly became a household name.
Tragically, a 1977 car accident claimed her stepfather’s life and left her in a coma for weeks. She miraculously recovered and returned to acting just months later. Later in life, she transitioned from the spotlight to a heart-centered profession, earning a veterinary medicine degree from Tuskegee University in 1993. She continued acting occasionally, including appearances in As Good as It Gets (1997) and Peter Rabbit and the Crucifix (2001).
Enduring Strength and Legacy
Moreover, Danielle Spencer overcame multiple serious health battles with extraordinary resilience. She endured paralysis from spinal stenosis, survived breast cancer in 2014, and underwent emergency brain surgery in 2018. Despite these setbacks, she advocated for animal rights and remained a symbol of perseverance. In 2014, she became the first child actor inducted into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Her legacy extends far beyond television, touching countless lives through her dedicated veterinary work, her heartfelt memoir Through the Fire: Journal of a Child Star, and her unwavering optimism in the face of challenges. She is survived by her loving mother, Cheryl, and her brother, Jeremy, a gifted jazz musician who continues to honor her memory through music.
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