Dr. Danielle Spencer, the actress who won over audiences as the sharp-tongued Dee Thomas on the beloved 1970s sitcom What’s Happening!!, has died at 60. Her longtime friend and co-star Haywood Nelson, who played Dwayne Nelson on the series, announced her passing on social media, sharing that Spencer died Monday 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. We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer. 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," Nelson wrote.

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in the Bronx and later California, Spencer began acting at age 11 when she joined What’s Happening!!, which aired on ABC from 1976 to 1979. The show, loosely inspired by the 1975 film Cooley High, followed three Black teenagers—Raj, Dwayne, and Freddy “Rerun” Stubbs (Fred Berry)—growing up in Los Angeles, and Spencer’s sassy, deadpan delivery as Dee quickly made her a fan favorite.

She reprised the role in the 1980s sequel What’s Happening Now!! (1985–1988), where viewers saw Dee as a grown woman navigating adulthood alongside the original cast. But after her run in Hollywood, Spencer chose a different path—pursuing her lifelong passion for animals.

Spencer studied veterinary medicine at Tuskegee University in Alabama, graduating in 1993. She went on to work as a veterinarian in California, caring for countless pets and advocating for animal welfare.