Danielle Spencer | Source: Getty Images
What We Know About Danielle Spencer's Final Days in the Hospital
Aug 14, 2025 - 05:29 A.M.
Danielle Spencer, best known for her role as Dee Thomas on "What's Happening!!," spent her final days in a Virginia hospital surrounded by family before passing away.
Danielle Spencer, best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom "What's Happening!!," spent her final days in the hospital, where she required food and medication through an IV.
Actress Danielle Spencer from the TV show 'What's Happening!!' poses for a photo in November 1976 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Her mother, Cheryl Pelt, told TMZ that Spencer was admitted on August 1, 2025, after a urinary tract infection turned septic, leaving her unable to eat solid foods. She was also diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, experienced significant weight loss, and saw her gastric cancer worsen.
According to Pelt, Spencer was alert and speaking with loved ones on Sunday while being treated in a Virginia hospital. However, she later suffered a "code blue" and became unresponsive. Doctors were able to restore her pulse and moved her to the ICU for more intensive care, but her heart continued to weaken.
Danielle Spencer, circa 1988. | Source: Getty Images
Spencer died on Monday, August 11, 2025, at the age of 60. Her mother said the cause of death was cardiac arrest and gastric cancer.
The late actress starred in 65 episodes of "What's Happening!!", an ABC sitcom about three teenage boys growing up in the South Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts. She played Dee Thomas, the boys' younger sister. She also appeared in 16 episodes of the show's sequel, "What's Happening Now!"
After stepping away from acting, Spencer fulfilled a longtime goal by working as a veterinarian in the Los Angeles area for more than 20 years. In 2013, illness forced her to relocate to her mother's home in Virginia.
Danielle Spencer arrives for Angels In Fur Dog Rescue Raise The Woof Halloween Party Hosted By Debra Wilson held at Smooth Sound Multimedia Studio on October 20, 2012 in Van Nuys, California. | Source: Getty Images
Pelt shared that her daughter’s health had been fragile for years, with cancer treatments compounded by lingering complications from a serious car accident that killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt.
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