(NEXSTAR) — Dr. Danielle Spencer, the former child star beloved for her role as Dee on ABC's "What's Happening!!," has died, according to her brother and her former co-star. She was 60.

Spencer's brother, the jazz musician Jeremy Pelt, posted to Instagram early Tuesday morning to share that his "big sister…lost her battle with cancer."

"Many of you knew her as 'Dee,' but she was more than a child actress," Pelt wrote. "She was a friend, an auntie to my three children who adored her, she was a daughter[,] and in many ways, my mother's best friend, she was a veterinarian, she was someone who always remained positive even during her darkest days fighting this disease. And she was MY sister and protector."

"I watched her take her last breath... I'm thankful for that," he added. "I love you,

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