Danielle Spencer, the beloved child star best known for her role as Dee Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What's Happening!!, has passed away at the age of 60. Her death on August 11 was confirmed by her former co-star Haywood Nelson.

Spencer, who began acting at age eight, rose to fame playing the quick-witted younger sister Dee from 1976 to 1979. She reprised the role in the sequel series, What's Happening Now!!, in the mid-1980s. Her famous catchphrase, "Ooooh, I'm gonna tell Mama!", became a memorable part of television history.

Beyond her acting career, Spencer pursued a different path, earning a doctorate in veterinary medicine from Tuskegee University in 1993. She dedicated herself to the field, working as a veterinarian for two decades and advocating for animal welfare.

Spencer's life was marked by resilience in the face of hardship. In 1977, she and her stepfather were in a severe car accident that tragically resulted in her stepfather's death and left her in a coma for three weeks. Later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and in 2018, she underwent emergency brain surgery for a bleeding hematoma linked to the earlier accident.

In a tribute, Haywood Nelson praised Spencer, writing, "We have lost a daughter, sister, family member, 'What's Happening' cast member, veterinarian animal rights proponent and healer, and cancer heroine. Our Shero." Spencer's legacy lives on in her work on and off the screen. She is survived by her mother and brother.