Danielle Spencer, famed for her position as Dee Thomas on What’s Happening!!, has died at 60, remembered as each a TV favourite and a devoted veterinarian.

Dr. Danielle Spencer, the actress who gained over tv audiences because the sharp-tongued child sister Dee Thomas on the hit Nineteen Seventies sitcom What’s Happening!!, has died at 60. She had an extended battle with most cancers.

The unhappy information was confirmed by her longtime pal and former co-star Haywood Nelson, who performed Dwayne Nelson on the beloved collection.

Nelson shared the loss in a heartfelt submit on social media Monday, ensuring to notice she was greater than a TV star.

“We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, What’s Happening cast member, veterinarian, animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine,” Nelson wrote. “Our Shero. Danielle is loved. She will be missed in this form and forever embraced.”

Millions bear in mind Spencer for the short comebacks and side-eye she delivered as Dee from 1976 to 1979 on “What’s Happening.” And she later starred within the sequel collection What’s Happening Now!!. Spencer carved out a second act removed from Hollywood lights. She grew to become a veterinarian, dedicating her life to the care of animals.

Her devotion to veterinary drugs started early. In a 1985 interview with the Amsterdam News throughout her school years as a pre-veterinary main, Spencer defined, “I’ve always had a knack for caring for animals and I’ve always been interested in chemistry, bacteriology and about the body.”

What’s Happening!! aired on ABC for 3 seasons, chronicling the lives of three Black teenagers—Raj (Ernest Lee Thomas), Dwayne (Nelson) and Freddy “Rerun” Stubbs (Fred Berry)—rising up in Los Angeles. Spencer’s Dee was Raj’s whip-smart youthful sister, identified for preserving the boys in verify with completely timed zingers.

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The 1985 sequel What’s Happening Now!! introduced the solid again collectively as adults navigating new challenges, with Spencer reprising her position till the collection led to 1988.

Spencer’s loss of life marks the top of an period for followers who grew up watching her on primetime TV, however her legacy stretches properly past the display screen. She stood out as a toddler star who transitioned right into a profession of service, mixing compassion, mind and dedication in each chapter of her life.

For those that cherished her work, whether or not on tv or within the clinic, Danielle Spencer leaves behind not solely reminiscences of her wit and allure but additionally a reminder that reinvention is feasible, and function might be discovered in lots of kinds.

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