{"id":3821,"date":"2025-08-14T09:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T09:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=3821"},"modified":"2025-08-14T09:13:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T09:13:11","slug":"fans-of-whats-happening-were-devastated-by-the-news-that-beloved-child-star-danielle-spencer-had-died-at-60-but-the-heartbreak-deepened-when-a-hidden-fragment-of-her-final-days-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/?p=3821","title":{"rendered":"Fans of What\u2019s Happening!! were devastated by the news that beloved child star Danielle Spencer had died at 60 \u2014 but the heartbreak deepened when a hidden fragment of her final days came to light. Just hours before her passing, she had posted what seemed like an ordinary, almost casual update, offering no hint of the tragedy to come. Yet within days, sharp-eyed followers unearthed what is now believed to be her last recorded video \u2014 a short, seemingly simple clip that, when viewed in hindsight, carried a weight and poignancy no one recognized at the time. Though her passing was initially described as unexpected, the cause has now been confirmed:.. WATCH MORE BELOW \ud83d\udc47"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Danielle Spencer, who was best known for playing the role of Dee Thomas on\u00a0<em>What\u2019s Happening!!<\/em>, has died. She was 60.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_4-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Spencer died on Aug. 11, according to an\u00a0Instagram post\u00a0from her former\u00a0<em>What\u2019s Happening!!<\/em>\u00a0costar Haywood Nelson.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_6-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cBrilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them, and we all have this family\u2019s \u2014 Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 \u2013 August 11, 2025),\u201d shared Nelson, who played Dwayne Nelson on the ABC sitcom.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_8-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-portrait figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_1-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/oDdP_txlH3uU7KYm_zMgBAeKp34=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/whats-happening-cast-81225-0f386f96f6f04e258dd53a06af164414.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/oDdP_txlH3uU7KYm_zMgBAeKp34=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/whats-happening-cast-81225-0f386f96f6f04e258dd53a06af164414.jpg 4000w\" alt=\" L-R: DANIELLE SPENCER;HAYWOOD NELSON;FRED BERRY;ERNEST THOMAS;MABEL KING\" width=\"2000\" height=\"3001\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/oDdP_txlH3uU7KYm_zMgBAeKp34=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/whats-happening-cast-81225-0f386f96f6f04e258dd53a06af164414.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/oDdP_txlH3uU7KYm_zMgBAeKp34=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)\/whats-happening-cast-81225-0f386f96f6f04e258dd53a06af164414.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_1-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">L-R: DANIELLE SPENCER; HAYWOOD NELSON; FRED BERRY; ERNEST THOMAS; MABEL KING.<\/span>ABC Photo Archives\/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_9-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cDr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body,\u201d he added. \u201cWe celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DNQckc6xVEj\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=675&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Flitaglobal.com&amp;rp=%2Fngocquynhlt%2Ffans-of-whats-happening-were-devastated-by-the-news-that-beloved-child-star-danielle-spencer-had-died-at-60-but-the-heartbreak-deepened-when-a-hidden-fragment-of-her-final-days-ca%2F%3Ffbclid#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A2556.699999988079%2C%22ls%22%3A1606.3999999910593%2C%22le%22%3A2540.8999999910593%7D\" height=\"891\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_11-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cWe have lost a daughter, sister, family member,\u00a0<em>What\u2019s Happening!!<\/em>\u00a0cast 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-3\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_13-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_2-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/EDVNsYwqjC8dAPaPrwgiGJKrb7o=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1072x622:1074x624):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening81225-9b818e639e6e408a8ef35aed51d957ec.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/EDVNsYwqjC8dAPaPrwgiGJKrb7o=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1072x622:1074x624):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening81225-9b818e639e6e408a8ef35aed51d957ec.jpg 4000w\" alt=\"Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show 'What's Happening!!' poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/EDVNsYwqjC8dAPaPrwgiGJKrb7o=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1072x622:1074x624):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening81225-9b818e639e6e408a8ef35aed51d957ec.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/EDVNsYwqjC8dAPaPrwgiGJKrb7o=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(1072x622:1074x624):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening81225-9b818e639e6e408a8ef35aed51d957ec.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_2-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show \u2018What\u2019s Happening!!\u2019 poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California.<\/span>Michael Ochs Archives\/Gett<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"mntl-sc-block_20-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-subheading mntl-sc-block-subheading\"><span class=\"mntl-sc-block-subheading__text\"><strong>Spencer starred as precocious little sister Dee Thomas on\u00a0<em>What\u2019s Happening!! \u2014\u00a0<\/em>which was loosely based on the 1975 film Cooley High\u00a0\u2014 for three seasons from 1976 to 1979.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_21-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">During the sitcom\u2019s second season, Spencer and her stepfather, Tim Pelt, were in a severe car accident on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., which resulted in Pelt\u2019s death and left her in a three-week coma.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_23-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Spencer opened up about the impact of the accident in her 2011 memoir,\u00a0<em>Through The Fire\u2026 Journal of a Child Star<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_25-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cI didn\u2019t even get a chance to say goodbye to my stepfather, Daddy Tim, whom I loved and who taught me show business as a young child in New York,\u201d she shared of Pelt, per\u00a0<em>The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_27-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-landscape figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_3-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/kdnTvNg5E13PJLebbz7IrYPwMPU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(870x465:872x467):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-81225-26054904520a4b028dd0ff39c1cfa364.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/kdnTvNg5E13PJLebbz7IrYPwMPU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(870x465:872x467):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-81225-26054904520a4b028dd0ff39c1cfa364.jpg 4000w\" alt=\"Danielle Spencer attends the 2016 Chiller Theater Expo at Parsippany Hilton on April 22, 2016 in Parsippany, New Jersey.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/kdnTvNg5E13PJLebbz7IrYPwMPU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(870x465:872x467):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-81225-26054904520a4b028dd0ff39c1cfa364.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/kdnTvNg5E13PJLebbz7IrYPwMPU=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(870x465:872x467):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-81225-26054904520a4b028dd0ff39c1cfa364.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_3-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">Danielle Spencer attends the 2016 Chiller Theater Expo at Parsippany Hilton on April 22, 2016 in Parsippany, New Jersey.<\/span>Bobby Bank\/WireImage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_28-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Spencer was\u00a0diagnosed with breast cancer\u00a0in 2014 and underwent emergency surgery for brain bleed in 2018.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_30-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cExactly 42 years to the date of her major car accident in 1976 resulting in the untimely death of her stepfather, actor Tim Pelt and leaving her in a coma for three weeks, a broken leg, arm and pelvis, Dr. Danielle Spencer started experiencing massive debilitating headaches. After going back and forth to the doctor for medicine, the headaches persisted until last week when she became unconscious. These headaches left her unresponsive and caused her to almost succumb to her illness. With quick action from expert doctors, they did emergency brain surgery removing a bleeding hematoma that formed due to the car accident 42 years ago,\u201d a\u00a0GoFundMe page\u00a0for her medical expenses stated.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_32-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">She was also diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2004, which caused her to become briefly paralyzed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mntl-sc-block_34-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-featuredlink mntl-sc-block-universal-featured-link mntl-sc-block-universal-featured-link--related\"><span class=\"link__wrapper\">Paying Tribute to the Celebrities Who Have Died in 2025<\/span><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"mntl-sc-block_36-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-subheading mntl-sc-block-subheading\"><span class=\"mntl-sc-block-subheading__text\"><strong>Spencer reprised her role as Dee in\u00a0<em>What\u2019s Happening Now!!<\/em>\u00a0from 1985 to 1988. She also appeared on\u00a0<em>The Brady Bunch Special<\/em>,\u00a0<em>Christmas at Walt Disney World<\/em>,\u00a0<em>The Tap Dance Kid<\/em>,\u00a0<em>The Family Feud\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0<em>Soul Train<\/em>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_37-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">After the show wrapped, Spencer and her mother spent time in Africa before she enrolled at the University of California, Davis, and studied veterinary medicine.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_39-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">She also attended Tuskegee University Veterinary School in Alabama, where she earned a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1993.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_41-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Spencer\u2019s last acting role was a 2001 episode of\u00a0<em>Days of Our Lives<\/em>, on which she played a Salem Place Vender.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"mntl-sc-block_43-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block people-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image mntl-sc-block-image--no-theme no-theme figure-portrait figure-high-res\">\n<div class=\"figure-media\">\n<div class=\"img-placeholder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"mntl-sc-block-image_4-0\" class=\"mntl-image mntl-image universal-image__image lazyloadwait lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/XLi_RZy4CcUKqqJMlwJECJAb_KM=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening281225-c0439feceba54217834dde68237ab996.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, 4000px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/XLi_RZy4CcUKqqJMlwJECJAb_KM=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening281225-c0439feceba54217834dde68237ab996.jpg 4000w\" alt=\"Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show 'What's Happening!!' poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1801\" data-src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/XLi_RZy4CcUKqqJMlwJECJAb_KM=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening281225-c0439feceba54217834dde68237ab996.jpg\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/XLi_RZy4CcUKqqJMlwJECJAb_KM=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)\/danielle-spencer-whats-happening281225-c0439feceba54217834dde68237ab996.jpg 4000w\" data-sizes=\"4000px\" data-expand=\"300\" data-tracking-container=\"true\" data-img-lightbox=\"true\" data-click-tracked=\"true\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption id=\"mntl-figure-caption_4-0\" class=\"comp mntl-figure-caption text-utility-100 figure-article-caption\"><span class=\"figure-article-caption-text\">Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show \u2018What\u2019s Happening!!\u2019 poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California.<\/span>ABC Photo Archives\/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_46-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">Spencer became the first child star to be inducted into the Smithsonian Museum. She is part of the permanent exhibition of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, according to\u00a0ABC News.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_48-0\" class=\"comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html\">\u201cI still can\u2019t believe it,\u201d she told the outlet in 2014. \u201cThat\u2019s something people can look at for years to come, long after I\u2019m gone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Danielle Spencer, who was best known for playing the role of Dee Thomas on\u00a0What\u2019s Happening!!, has died. She was 60. Spencer died on Aug. 11, according to&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3823,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3821\/revisions\/3823"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow48.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}