We have tragic news to report from the world of television today:
Actress Danielle Spencer has passed away at the age of 60.
The former child star portrayed Dee on the iconic 1970s sitcom What’s Happening!!
Spencer became a veterinarian after retiring from acting in the 1990s.
News of Spencer’s passing comes courtesy of her friend and former co-star Haywood Nelson, who tells TMZ that she died in a Richmond, Virginia hospital Monday night.
Nelson — who played Dwayne on What’s Happening!! — says that Danielle was surrounded by loved ones, including her mom, Cheryl, and her brother, famed jazz musician Jeremy Pelt.
The actor, who says he always thought of Spencer as his little sister, paid tribute and revealed her cause of death in a moving Instagram post.
Danielle Spencer passed away after a long battle with cancer
“Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body,” Nelson wrote.
“We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer,” he continued, adding:
“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.”
Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking sitcoms of the 1970s, What’s Happening!! debuted as a summer replacement series in August of 1976.
It performed so well that a full season was ordered, and the show continued its run until 1979.
It later found a new audience through syndicated reruns.
Spencer resumed her role in a sequel series, What’s Happening Now!!, that ran on CBS from 1985 to 1988.
Our thoughts go out to Danielle Spencer’s loved ones during this devastating time.