Danielle Spencer, best known as Dee Thomas on the hit sitcom “What’s Happening!!,” died Aug. 11 at age 60 after a long battle with cancer.
A beloved child star, she played the sharp-tongued little sister from 1976 to 1979, later reprising the role in “What’s Happening Now!!” from 1985 to 1988.
Off-screen, Spencer overcame life-altering challenges, including a 1976 car accident that killed her stepfather and left her in a coma. She was later diagnosed with spinal stenosis, breast cancer and a brain bleed.
After acting, she became a veterinarian and an animal welfare advocate. Her legacy also lives on in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she was the first child star inducted.
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