What happened to Danielle Spencer? Beloved child star’s health struggles explored as she dies at 60

Danielle Spencer, well-known for starring in What's Happening!! and its sequel sitcom, passed away at 60. 

The former child actress died on Monday, August 11, after a long battle with cancer. Her publicist told The New York Times that the cause of Spencer’s death was gastric cancer and cardiac arrest. Danielle’s castmate from the popular ‘70s sitcom, Haywood Nelson, also announced the news of her demise on Instagram. He wrote: 

“Brilliance! It comes in a great many forms. We all have them and we all have this family’s - Dr. Danielle Spencer (June 24, 1965 - August 11, 2025).”

Nelson shared: 

“Dr. Dee, our brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail, has finally found her release from the clutches of this world and a body. We celebrate Danielle Spencer and her contributions as we regret to inform her departure and transition from a long battle with cancer.”

Highlighting the loss Danielle Spencer’s loved one suffered, Haywood concluded:

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

He also mentioned the Instagram handles of Danielle Spencer, Ernest Lee Thomas, Cheryl Pelt (Danielle's mother), and Paula DeJesus (his wife). 

The actress-turned-veterinarian had faced many health struggles before her prolonged battle with cancer and death in August 2025. The 60-year-old was once involved in an accident that led to health issues for years. 

Danielle Spencer encountered multiple health issues over the years after a car crash in 1977

In 1977, she was in a car that crashed in which her stepfather life was claimed. She was in a coma for 6 months.

She suffered debilitating injuries that she struggled with for years and overcame them to become a vetenarian. She then beat cancer.

RIP Dr. Danielle Spencer https://t.co/mokeRNECVk

— Old Head Energy (@Cheamane) August 12, 2025

In September 1977, the ex-child actress was travelling to the set of What’s Happening!! with her stepfather, Tim Pelt, when they had a car crash on the Pacific Coast Highway. Pelt succumbed to his injuries, while Spencer suffered facial injuries and had broken her arm, leg, and pelvis, per the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 

According to a GoFundMe page set up on behalf of Danielle, she was in a coma for three weeks. Years later, the actress-veterinarian developed a spinal condition. Per the Richmond Times-Dispatch, it was a latent injury caused by her 1977 accident. The actress told the outlet in 2016: 

“Then one day I was trying on clothes in Macy’s and literally fell on the ground.” 

Spencer had to undergo surgery to remove a calcified disc in 2003. She added: 

“Once they removed it, I was paralyzed from the waist down.” 

Danielle Spencer could walk short distances with arm crutches. The Richmond Times-Dispatch highlighted that the animal hospital, where Spencer worked in 2003, made arrangements so she could sit down for surgery. She told the newspaper: 

“It was so awesome. I was so happy that I could still do what I wanted to do.”

However, in 2014, the actress was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy. Danielle Spencer was planning to move closer to her mother in Richmond. She told the Richmond Times-Dispatch: 

“At first, we thought we’d get a place here, because the cost of living is so much lower. Literally as we were going to find a place - that’s when I was diagnosed with cancer.”

Spencer recounted: 

“I had a lump for at least a year. It wasn’t until I came here that the doctor said, ‘Let’s just biopsy it.’ And then I found out.”

She praised her surgeon and the doctors at Virginia Commonwealth University, but described her chemotherapy as “hell.” Danielle recalled at the time: 

“It was definitely one of the worst times in my life. You feel helpless. You can’t do what you want to do. It leads to depression. I had so much support from friends and family.”

In 2018, Danielle Spencer had to undergo another surgery for a brain hematoma. According to her GoFundMe campaign, the actress had encountered headaches for decades following her 1977 accident. The fundraiser was launched to help her with expenses regarding her recovery following the surgery.