Danielle Spencer Hospitalized Weeks Before Death: Family Details Final Days and Medical Struggle

Jordan Collins here. I guess I can simplify this for you: Danielle Spencer, best known as Dee Thomas on the 1970s sitcom What’s Happening!!, spent her last weeks in a Virginia hospital being treated for multiple severe illnesses before passing at age 60.

You probably should already know the basics, but let me assemble the facts for you so there is no confusion. According to family accounts, Spencer was admitted to a Virginia hospital on August 1 after a urinary tract infection progressed into sepsis. Her mother, Cheryl Pelt, told reporters that the infection and subsequent complications left Danielle with feeding and medication tubes in her nose because she could no longer tolerate solid foods. Medical updates from the family also confirm that she battled pneumonia in both lungs while hospitalized and was losing weight as her underlying gastric cancer became more aggressive.

Those are the verified medical details: hospital admission August 1 for a UTI that turned septic; treatment included tube feeding and intravenous medication because of an inability to ingest solid food; documented pneumonia affecting both lungs; and an ongoing fight with gastric cancer that worsened. Family members were present during her final days. On Sunday, Pelt said Danielle was alert and speaking with relatives at her bedside. Later that day, the actress suffered what her mother described as a “code blue,” during which she was briefly unresponsive. Medical staff were reportedly able to restore a pulse and move her to the intensive care unit for additional care, but her heart weakened thereafter.

As reported, Danielle Spencer died on Monday at 60 years old. Her mother stated the causes as cardiac arrest and gastric cancer. Those are the official family-sourced causes relayed to the press, and they align with the timeline of acute infections and cancer complications described by relatives.

Before her ill health curtailed her life, Spencer was a recognizable child star who rose to fame for portraying Dee Thomas on What’s Happening!! in the late 1970s. After her television career slowed, she changed paths and pursued her long-held passion for animal care, working as a veterinarian in the Los Angeles area for more than two decades, according to her mother. That second act as an animal caregiver was reportedly her dream after acting, and it became the focus of her adult life.

Her family also described a history of serious trauma and chronic health struggles. Spencer suffered a major car accident in the past that resulted in long-term health complications and tragically killed her stepfather, Tim Pelt. She reportedly became ill in 2013 and moved from California to Virginia to live with her mother. Over the last decade, Spencer battled cancer and other lingering medical issues, with family members saying she remained positive and devoted to loved ones including nieces and nephews. Her brother, jazz musician Jeremy Pelt, told reporters that Danielle loved fiercely and cared deeply for family, even during her most difficult moments.

So there you have it: a sad, medically complex final chapter for a former child star who spent years caring for animals after her acting career. Hospitalized August 1 for a UTI that became septic, unable to eat without tubes, with bilateral pneumonia and escalating gastric cancer, Spencer experienced a critical code blue, was treated in the ICU, and died days later. Family accounts cite cardiac arrest and gastric cancer as causes. If you want a narrative with fewer facts and more speculation, that is not happening here; I gave you what is confirmed.

Stick around; there will likely be more statements from family and possibly a formal obituary or memorial details to come. Well, now you finally understand.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, family statements to press
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed