On TV's "What's Happening!!" Danielle Spencer turned herself into a household name at just 11 years old, playing sassy and quick-witted Dee Thomas.

Child star Danielle Spencer, who portrayed Dee Thomas on the 1970s comedy TV series “What’s Happening!!,” has died at 60, according to former co-star and friend Haywood Nelson.

Danielle Spencer, who played the precocious youngster Dee Thomas on the 1970s ABC sitcom What’s Happening!!, has died. She was 60. Spencer died Monday in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, her What’s Happening!! so-star Haywood Nelson told The Hollywood Reporter .