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Danielle Spencer -- famous for playing Dee Thomas on the hit ’70s sitcom "What’s Happening!!" -- spent her final days alive in a hospital bed ... she had tubes hooked up to her nose, and needed them for food and medicine.

Danielle's mom, Cheryl Pelt , tells TMZ ... Danielle was hospitalized August 1 after a urinary tract infection turned septic. She was unable to eat hard foods and had to get her nutrients and meds through tubing. Getty

What's more, we're told Danielle had pneumonia in both lungs ... and she was losing weight and her gastric cancer was kicking up.

Danielle's mom says her family was with her Sunday in a Virginia hospital, and she was talking and alert. Alamy

The former child star's mother says Danielle suffered a "code blue" and was unresponsive .

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