Danielle Spencer’s Faith: 70s Sitcom Star Dies
Actress Danielle Spencer, the spunky Dee Thomas on the popular 1970s sitcom “What’s Happening!!” died August 11 after a long battle with cancer. Known as a hilarious scene-stealer and armed with a hearty laugh and a wit, she became one of TV’s most memorable little sisters. Fans from that era still recall how her impeccable timing and Parade Magazine described her as “the undisputed queen of sassy one-liners. Nearly fifty years later it seems fans still have plenty of love for the former child star,” during a birthday tribute in June.
Born June 24, 1965, in Trenton, New Jersey, Danielle was raised by her mother Cheryl Pelt and, after her parents separated, by her stepfather Tim Pelt. Family and faith would become the backbone of her life, especially after a 1977 car accident that killed Tim and left Danielle in a coma for weeks. She returned to “What’s Happening!!” but her journey was always about more than TV. After the show, she became a veterinarian—her compassion extending from fans to four-legged patients.
Dr. Spencer’s Christian faith shaped her, especially in her later years. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, she spoke openly about leaning on God. “With everything that I’ve been through with the spinal cord injury, I said I know God is not going to give me another affliction,” she told reporters after her diagnosis according to an interview in Us Magazine. In another interview for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she told Black America Web, “I just keep praying and I know God’s got me, whatever happens”.
Her faith was never a performance—it was quiet, steady, and always present, people around her have said.
Spencer never had children of her own but lived a life that made her a cherished aunt and mentor to many, according to tributes on Wednesday. Friends and family describe her as “a sweet and gentle soul,” someone who, even in her toughest moments, found ways to encourage others with a joke, a story, or that signature laugh. Her brother, jazz musician Jeremy Pelt, survives her, along with her mother.
–Metro Voice
