BREAKING NEWSBruce Springsteen's Wife Patti Scialfa Reveals 2018 Blood Cancer Diagnosis in New Film
Bruce Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa, revealed she was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2018.
Sept. 9 2024, Published 7:09 a.m. ET
Bruce Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa, revealed she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, in 2018.
In a new documentary, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which premiered on Sunday, September 8, at the Toronto Film Festival, got candid about what she's been going through over the past few years for the first time.
“I’ve been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first performances, it felt so good to be back onstage. Touring has become a challenge for me,” Scialfa, who is a longtime E Street Band member, said in the film. “In 2018, well, Bruce and I were doing a play on Broadway. I was diagnosed with early stage multiple myeloma.”
The pair share three kids.
“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she added. “Every once in a while, I come to a show or two and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s been a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”
The guitarist has been married to Bruce Springsteen since 1991.
Though the guitarist, who shares sons Evan, 34, and Sam, 30, and daughter Jessica, 32, with her husband, had to take some time off, she admitted she loves singing "Fire" with him.
“You can see a side of our relationship that you usually don’t get to see,” she noted. “Being back onstage with Bruce is a blast. Every night at this tour gives the band a chance to celebrate.”
Patti Scialfa revealed her blood cancer diagnosis in a new film at Toronto Film Festival.
This is the first time Scialfa has publicly addressed her health woes. Meanwhile, Springsteen has been open about his own health setbacks, as he received treatment last year for peptic ulcer disease.
Following a six-month break, the "Born in the U.S.A." singer revealed how he's been holding up since.
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The pair have both dealt with health issues.
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"You sing with your diaphragm. You know, my diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, so I literally couldn't sing at all, you know? And that lasted for two, three months, along with just a myriad of other painful problems," he said in March while on Sirius XM's E Street Radio.
"It took a while for the doctors to say, 'Oh, no, you're gonna be OK,'" he continued. "At first, nobody was quite saying that, which made me nervous, y'know?"
Springsteen later resumed his tour after feeling better.
"There'll be a much wider song selection going on," he said of his concerts. "Some of the second half of the set is built so solid, so a lot of it'll stay. The opening ... I'm not sure what's going to happen up top, but it'll shift around. I'm waiting to see myself where the show is going to take me."
"But ... for us, it's a new tour, a new day, and we're approaching everything like that," he continued. "We're looking forward to having a lot of fun."
The documentary will release on Hulu and Disney+ on October 25.
