The What’s Happening!! cast has been through a lot since they last worked together on their sequel sitcom, What’s Happening Now!! Multiple actors from the show have died, with the most recent being Danielle Spencerwho played Dee Thomas. She battled multiple health issues, including cancer.
Through the end of her life, Danielle remained friends with some of her former co-stars, including Haywood Nelsonwho played Dwayne on the show. Haywood announced her death in an Instagram post on August 12, 2025, calling Danielle a “brilliant, loving, positive, pragmatic warrior, without fail.”
Ernest Thomaswho played Danielle’s on-screen brother, Raj, also shared a heartfelt tribute to the late actress and veterinarian via Instagram. He wrote, in part, “No more suffering for my baby sister Dr. Danielle Spencer.”
Below, learn where the rest of the What’s Happening!! cast members are now.
Born on June 24th 1965 in Bronx, NY., This Amazing Child Actress is Most Known to Us For Playing Dee Thomas in the Hit Sitcom What’s Happening! #daniellespencer #whatshappening pic.twitter.com/eUU8OlrUvb
— 80sThen80sNow (@80sThen80sNow) August 12, 2025
Roger Everett Gerald “Raj” Thomas: Ernest Thomas
Ernest played the teen protagonist, Raj, who frequently stumbled into comical trouble and had to find a way out of it.
Ernest had already established himself as an actor before landing his lead role in What’s Happening!! Three years after the show was canceled, he reprised his role as Raj for the sequel series, What’s Happening Now!! and he eventually landed the role of Mr. Omar in Everybody Hates Chris. Since 2024, Ernest has voiced the role of Mr. Omar in the animated sitcom Everybody Still Hates Chris.
Dwayne Clemens Nelson: Haywood Nelson
Before playing Dwayne in What’s Happening!!Haywood got his big break on the soap opera As the World Turnsplaying Jerry Smith from 1971 to 1974. Thanks to his success with What’s Happening!! and What’s Happening Now!!Dwayne became a teen heartthrob in Hollywood.
📺DEBUT: ‘What’s Happening!!’ premiered 49 years ago, August 5, 1976, on ABC pic.twitter.com/oUE51GHx7t
— RetroNewsNow (@RetroNewsNow) August 6, 2025
Freddy J. “Rerun” Stubbs: Fred Berry
Fred Berry got his start in showbiz as a dancer for the Los Angeles-based troupe The Lockers, an experience that helped shape his What’s Happening!! character, Rerun. The character became a fan-favorite thanks to the actor’s dancing skills and charisma.
Unfortunately, Fred struggled with drugs and alcohol abuse throughout his career, and he died in October 2003.
Deadra “Dee” Thomas: Danielle Spencer
Like most of her co-stars, Danielle became famous for her What’s Happening!! gig. After the sequel sitcom ended in the 1980s, Danielle booked a few more on-screen roles until the early 2000s. Outside of showbusiness, Danielle became a veterinarian. She attended UC Davis and UCLA for veterinary studies, and she earned a doctorate degree from Tuskegee University Veterinary School.
While starring in What’s Happening!!Danielle was involved in a life-threatening car accident in 1977, which killed her stepfather, Tim Peltand left her in a coma for three weeks. She had no memory of the crash, and she spent several months in physical therapy.
Danielle died in August 2025 after suffering from multiple health issues, including cancer and a urinary tract infection that turned septic, per TMZ.
Mabel “Mama” Thomas: Mabel King
Unlike Mabel King‘s co-stars, the late actress didn’t begin her acting career until her mid-30s. She started in stage productions, then was offered the role of Mama Thomas in the 1970s. She left the show after two seasons in 1978 and landed guest roles in other TV series, including The Jeffersons and Fantasy Island. In film, Mabel appeared in The Jerk, The Jerk, Too, Scrooged and Dead Men Don’t Die.
Mabel suffered from diabetes throughout her career, which resulted in amputations and her eventual death in November 1999. She was 66 years old.
Shirley Wilson: Shirley Hemphill
Shirley Hemphill was an actress and comedian, and thanks to What’s Happening!! and its sequel show, she booked several on-screen gigs throughout her career. Shirley appeared in the series One in a Million and booked a few more TV roles throughout the 1990s.
However, Shirley’s life unfortunately ended when she was just 52 years old. In December 1999, Shirley was found dead at her home, and her autopsy determined that she died of kidney failure.
