Danielle Spencer, star ‘What’s happening !!’, dies at 60

Danielle Spencer, a former child actor better known for his role as Dee in the situation comedy of the 1970s “” ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

Spencer died on August 11, due to gastric cancer and cardiac arrest. He was 60 years old, according to Sandra Jones, a family friend who works as a family spokesman.

“This premature death is really difficult to process at this time,” Jones told ABC News on Tuesday. “She is a sweet and gentle soul and will miss her a lot.”

Spencer starred 65 episodes of “What happens!”, An ABC comedy about three teenagers who grew up in the Watts neighborhood of southern Los Angeles, according IMDB.

Spencer played Dee Thomas, the younger sister of the children. It also appeared in 16 episodes of the sequel to the program, “What is happening now!”

In 1977, Spencer survived a fatal car accident that killed his stepfather and manager, Tim Pelt, according to His biography on your website.

After recovering from his wounds, Spencer obtained a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1993.

California moved to the Richmond area, Virginia, in 2014.

At the time of his death, Spencer, who previously fought against breast cancer, lived with his mother in an area outside Richmond, according to Jones.

In addition to his mother, Cheryl Pelt, Spencer also survives his younger brother, Jazz musician Jeremy Pelt.

In an email on Tuesday, Jeremy Pelt told ABC News that Spencer was: “A very loving spirit that fought bravely until the end.”

Jeremy Pelt also shared a tribute to his sister On Instagram On Tuesday, writing: “Many of you knew her as ‘Dee’, but she was more than a child actress.”

“She was a friend, an aunt for my three children who worshiped her, was a daughter, and in many ways, my mother’s best friend, she was veterinary, she was someone who always remained positive even during her darker days fighting this disease,” he continued. “And she was my sister and my protector.”

He added that he was “grateful” to be with her sister when she took her last breath and was “delayed” for her death, writing: “I love you, forever.”

In 2016 interview With a local Richmond television station, Spencer reflected on his career as an actor that appeared in the National Museum of History and Culture of Smithsonian African Americans in Washington, DC

“Seriously, I can’t even digest it,” Spencer said. “I mean, first of all, the show remembers 40 years [ago]But it will also appear in this museum along with other shows that have been pioneers. “

Spencer said that her late stepfather took her to the world of acting. At 9, he said he received the call that he had won the role of Dee in “

“A month later I received a phone call and they told me: ‘Vuele to California. You have the role.’ And it was like my life changed,” he said.

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