Tributes have begun to pour in for ’70s child star Danielle Spencer, who passed away on Monday after a lengthy battle with cancer.
The 60-year-old was a fan favorite on the show What’s Happening!!, which ran for three seasons between 1976 and 1979, and followed the lives of three boys growing up in a South Los Angeles neighborhood.
She portrayed their younger sister, Dee Thomas, known for her sassy one liners and signature phrase, “Ooh, I’m gonna tell Mama!”
The actress reprised her role in the sequel series, What’s Happening Now!! from 1985 to 1988.
Learn more about the celebrities who were gone too soon below…
A long road
Danielle endured decades of pain after being injured in a 1977 car crash that claimed the life of her stepfather.
She was in a coma for weeks and spent six months in physical therapy, with the crash coming back to haunt her in 2004 when she was diagnosed with spinal stenosis.
She was then diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and ultimately passed away due to gastric cancer and cardiac arrest, according to ABC News.
Touching tributes
© Disney General Entertainment ConDanielle’s family spokesperson, Sandra Jones, shared with ABC News that her “untimely death is really hard to process right now,” adding that she was “a sweet and gentle soul” who will be “missed very, very much”.
Her former co-star, Haywood Nelson, took to Instagram to share a touching tribute in the wake of her unexpected passing.
“Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them, and we all have this family’s – Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 – August 11, 2025),” he began.
© WireImage“Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body.”
“We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer,” Haywood continued.
“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.”
A brother’s love
© InstagramHer brother Jeremy shared a heartbreaking message on social media to honor his late sister, who was his hero.
“August 11, 2025, will forever be a reminder of the day that I lost a big part of myself. After many years, my big sister, Dr. Danielle Louise Spencer, lost her battle with cancer,” he wrote.
“Many of you knew her as ‘Dee’, but she was more than a child actress. She was a friend, an auntie to my three children who adored her, she was a daughter – and in many ways, my mother’s best friend, she was a veterinarian, she was someone who always remained positive even during her darkest days fighting this disease. And she was MY sister and protector.”
© InstagramHe added that they remained close throughout their lives despite their 11 year age gap, and that she adored her family.
“I watched her take her last breath…I’m thankful for that,” Jeremy wrote. “I love you, forever.”
Leaving Hollywood
© FilmMagicDespite being a successful child actress, Danielle left Hollywood behind to pursue a veterinary career, earning her doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1993. She worked in the field for 20 years in Los Angeles before relocating to Richmond in 2014.
The star still dabbled in acting from time to time, even appearing as a vet in As Good As It Gets in 1996.
Her final acting credit was in a 2001 episode of Days of Our Lives.
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