Bruce Springsteen’s wife and the longtime member of the E Street Band Patti Scialfa has revealed she’s been dealing with a rare blood cancer, multiple myeloma, since 2018.
Scialfa talked publicly about her battle with cancer for the first time in the documentary ‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.’ Her condition weakens her immune system, so she can’t tour or perform much with the band now.
“I’ve been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first performances, it felt so good to be back onstage,” Scialfa explained in the documentary. “Touring has become a challenge for me. In 2018, well, Bruce and I were doing a play on Broadway. I was diagnosed with early-stage multiple myeloma.”
“This affects my immune system so I just have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go. Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs onstage, and that’s been a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that,” she added.
Bruce Springsteen has also had health issues recently. Last year, he had to cancel several tour dates, and the sudden news caused people to think that he might be retiring soon. He later explained that he was dealing with peptic ulcer disease and needed time to rest and fully recover before getting back on stage this year.
Scialfa joined the E Street Band in 1984, just before the ‘Born in the U.S.A. Tour.’ She and Springsteen started living together later on, and their first child, Evan James Springsteen, was born in July 1990. They married in June 1991 and had two more kids, Jessica Rae and Samuel Ryan Springsteen.
‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’ covers the band’s recent world tour. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend and will be available on Disney+ starting October 25th.