By Lauren Burke
Dr. Danielle Spencer-David, who starred as Dee Thomas in the popular 1970s sitcom What’s Happening!!, died in Richmond this Tuesday after a year-long battle with breast cancer.
After finding fame alongside fellow actors Mabel King (as Mabel Thomas) and Ernest Lee Thomas (as Roger Thomas) as the busybody little sister of her brother Roger, Spencer-David moved on from Hollywood sitcom fame to become a veterinarian and resident of Richmond, Virginia. Though Danielle Spencer was born in New Jersey and her family later moved to the Bronx, she made her way to Virginia. Spencer became a veterinarian in 1996 after earning a degree at Tuskegee University Veterinary School. What’s happening!! Ran on ABC from 1976 until 1979 and was a hit that remains well remembered and watched in reruns. There was also a revival of the show from 1985 to 1988, in which Spencer starred. After an earlier divorce, she married businessman David L. David in 2014. She also moved to Richmond that year and hosted segments on pet care on occasion on WTVR.
An Instagram post from What’s Happening!! Co-star Haywood Nelson (who played Dwayne Nelson) read: Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them, and we all have this family — Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 – August 11, 2025). “As a family member through marriage and as an elected official, I join countless fans, friends, and loved ones in mourning her loss. Danielle was more than a television icon—she was a kind, thoughtful, and compassionate woman whose humor, talent, and generosity left a lasting impact on everyone she met,” wrote Virginia House of Delegates member Delores McQuinn in a statement on August 12.
In 2014, Spencer became the only former child actor to be honored in a permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian (aka: National Museum of African American History and Culture). In late September 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Dr. Danielle Spencer-David was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
“The world has lost an icon today. Danielle Spencer, known as Dee from the sitcom “What’s Happening “, paved the way for a lot of actors/actresses and inspired thousands of individuals throughout the world. Not only was she an actress, but she was also an author, community activist, and veterinarian. She was an awesome and phenomenal woman. May her footprints be forever imprinted in the sands of time. Rest in paradise, Cousin Danielle, until we meet again,” said James JJ Minor, President, Richmond, VA Branch NAACP, who is a cousin.
