What’s Happening!! child star Danielle Spencer’s tragic last moments revealed as mom details fight for life

by

Fresh insights about the heartrending events leading up to Danielle Spencer’s passing, at the age of 60 on Monday, have come to light.

Actress Spencer, known affectionately for portraying the sharp-tongued character Dee Thomas in the ABC comedy series What’s Happening!! (1976-1979), passed away at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, following a prolonged struggle against breast cancer.

Danielle’s previous acting partner, Haywood Nelson (who played Dwayne Clemens Nelson), expressed his feelings in a heartfelt statement: ‘We are mourning the loss of a dear daughter, sister, relative, cast member from “What’s Happening”, veterinarian, animal welfare advocate, and healer, as well as a brave fighter against cancer. Danielle was adored. She will be deeply missed in her physical form but forever cherished.’

On a Wednesday, it was reported by TMZ that Spencer’s mother, Cheryl Pelt, shared that Spencer was admitted to the hospital on August 1 due to a severe urinary tract infection that developed into sepsis. With an inability to consume solid food, medical nutrients and medications were instead administered via tubes placed in her nose.

As per Pelt’s report, Spencer was additionally diagnosed with a double lung infection (pneumonia) and was experiencing significant weight loss due to her advanced gastric cancer. During her last weekend, her family stood by her side.

On Sunday, I enthusiastically shared with everyone that my beloved daughter was chatting and awake, filled with vitality. However, in the blink of an eye, she encountered a critical situation, triggering a ‘code blue,’ which left her unresponsive.

Doctors revived her and transferred her to intensive care, but her heart continued to weaken. 

Pelt told the outlet she died of cardiac arrest and gastric cancer.

Embracing a new passion, I – a former actor – found solace and fulfillment in realizing my long-cherished ambition to become a veterinarian. For over two decades now, I’ve been serving the Los Angeles community with my veterinary skills and compassionate care for our animal friends.

In 2013, illness forced her to move in with her mother in Virginia.

Pelt also mentioned that her daughter had faced numerous health challenges for many years. Among these were permanent injuries sustained in a severe car crash which tragically took the life of her stepfather, Tim Pelt.

In her memoir “Through the Fire,” published in 2010, Spencer expressed that she was unable to bid farewell to her beloved stepfather, nicknamed ‘Daddy Tim’, who had introduced her to show business during her childhood years in New York.

In the late 1970s, Spencer gained widespread recognition as Dee Thomas, the spirited sister of Raj Thomas (portrayed by Ernest Thomas) and daughter of Mabel (Mabel King).

Many people loved her playful nature, which she frequently emphasized using her distinctive phrase, “Watch out, I’ll be telling Mom about this!

In the years following her initial portrayal, her hilarious delivery and on-screen spunk became iconic. This led to her returning to the role in the sequel series titled “What’s Happening Now!!” which aired for three seasons from 1985 to 1988.

Prior to that point, Spencer had undergone significant, life-changing incidents away from the camera, such as a nearly fatal car crash in 1977 which left a lasting impact on her health for many years afterward.

2004 saw her receiving a diagnosis of spinal stenosis, a severe health issue characterized by a narrowing of the spinal canal that potentially compresses the spinal cord and nearby nerves, posing a risk.

Doctors traced the cause back to the injuries she had sustained in that accident.

The operation aimed at resolving the issue left her temporarily unable to move certain parts of her body for about eight months, necessitating a challenging rehabilitation process.

After the termination of “What’s Happening!!”, Spencer and her family moved abroad to the Ivory Coast, but later returned to the United States.

Eager to fulfill a lifelong aspiration, she joined the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University and graduated with her Doctorate in 1993.

Over the course of the following twenty years, Spencer focused her efforts on providing animal care within the Los Angeles region, serving as a dedicated veterinarian.

Her acting career started to slow down around the year 2000, and she played her last significant role as a street vendor in an episode of Days of Our Lives that was broadcast in 2001.

In 2014, she relocated to Richmond, Virginia, to be closer to family.

That same year, Spencer faced another devastating blow when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Despite her health struggles having not yet reached an end, in the year 2018, she faced an urgent brain operation to manage a hematoma that continued to be a persistent issue stemming from her 1977 automobile incident.

Spencer was married twice. Initially, he wed marketing manager Garry Fields in 1999, but they parted ways in 2013. Later on, he tied the knot with entrepreneur David L. David.

Read More

2025-08-13 17:19