Growing up as a child in the 80s, we had some iconic television sitcoms that catered to the black community. One of those shows was “What’s Happening?” The show surrounded 3 young teenage males and their everyday struggles and was loosely based on the movie “Coolie High.” The three males were Roger, Dwayne, and Re-run. Roger lived with his mom and his little sister “Dee,” played by Danielle Spencer.
Dee was our first experience of a person who was classified as a snitch, extortionist, and all-around pain in the butt for her big brother. Her tag line was , “Oooh, Rog, I’m telling Momma.“ That pretty much happened every episode. Dee would always find ways to extort money from her big brother by saying she was going to hold down the secret, but eventually told anyway, which would result in Roger getting in trouble and losing his money.
Dee had a comedic timing that was legendary for an actress at that time. She was witty, sarcastic, and cute all at the same time.
Dee, amazing as she was funny, was only a character brought to life by the actress Danielle Spencer. Spencer was born June 24, 1965. She grew up in the Bronx and started taking acting classes at the age of eight.
In 1977, during the second season of What’s Happening, Danielle was in a terrible car accident with her stepfather, Tim Pelt. Danielle suffered several broken bones and was in a coma for three weeks. Her stepfather , whom she deemed a her real father passed away from his injuries. To honor her father, she went to veterinarian school after acting, becoming a doctor per his request when he was alive.
Spencer was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in September 2014. She will forever be an imprint on the culture. Her presence for those who got to experience that magic will always hold a special place in our hearts. For me, she will always be known as that annoying little sister, everybody hates to love… “Love you Dee. You will be missed.”
