Former child star Danielle Spencer, known for her role in the 1970s ABC sitcom "What's Happening!!," has died at age 60.
Fellow co-star Haywood Nelson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Spencer died Monday in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia.
Spencer battled breast cancer and, in 2014, underwent a double mastectomy. In 2018, she underwent emergency surgery to relieve bleeding on the brain, with a GoFundMe page set up to help raise funds to cover her medical expenses. As noted on the page, she had insurance, but there had been "many costs associated with her continued care that insurance does not cover and have left her in a financial bind."
"She suffered for a very long time but did it with a great deal of courage," Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter.
Spencer famously played Dee, the bratty younger sister of Roger "Raj" Thomas (Ernest Thomas) and daughter of Mabel (Mabel King), in "What's Happening!!" She coined the catch phrase, 'Ooooh, I'm gonna tell Mama!'"
In 1985, she reprised her role in the sequel, "What's Happening Now!," which ran for three seasons. Spencer went on to pursue a career as a veterinarian, and several years later, James L. Brooks cast her as a veterinarian in his 1997 movie "As Good as It Gets."
Born in 1965 in New York City, Spencer began acting as a child and appeared in minor film roles before landing her breakthrough at age 11 in "What's Happening!!," which led her family to relocate to California.
In September 1977, Spencer survived a five-car collision on Malibu's Pacific Coast Highway that claimed the life of her stepfather, who had been behind the wheel. She spent several weeks in intensive care following the crash, which occurred just after he had taken her to a drive-in screening of "Star Wars."
After the conclusion of "What's Happening!!," Spencer's family relocated to the Ivory Coast. She pursued higher education at UC Davis and UCLA before completing a veterinary degree at Tuskegee University in 1993.
Years later, a spinal issue left her temporarily paralyzed. She practiced veterinary medicine in Los Angeles for about twenty years, then moved to Richmond in 2014, where she presented a regular pet-care segment on WTVR-TV.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
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