Patti Scialfa, the wife of Bruce Springsteen, has been dealing with a form of blood cancer since 2018.
In her husband’s new documentary, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which premiered on Sunday night at the Toronto Film Festival, Scialfa, 71, shared that she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Scialfa, who has taken a step back from the E Street Band due to her health issues, explained in the documentary, “Touring has become a challenge for me.
This affects my immune system, so I just have to be careful about 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.”
A member of the E Street Band since 1984 and married to Springsteen since 1991, Scialfa revealed in the documentary that she was diagnosed with blood cancer during the “Springsteen on Broadway” concert residency.
She has been largely absent from the E Street Band’s current tour, which began in February 2023 and will continue through July 2025, as she focuses on her health.
Multiple myeloma is a type of cancer that originates in plasma cells, a kind of white blood cell. Symptoms include bone pain, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, infections, weight loss, and cognitive issues.
Last year, Scialfa told the Asbury Park Press that her absence from the tour was also due to her working on a solo album and spending time with her and Springsteen’s first grandchild. Their son, Sam, welcomed his daughter, Lily, in July 2022.
“I didn’t feel as needed in a way because there were a lot of musicians on stage,” she explained in the October 2023 interview.
“I did the first couple of shows, and as I saw how it was all rolling, I thought, ‘This is good. This is completely intact. There’s not much room for me to add anything special.’”
She continued, “And the main thing was I have a record that I couldn’t have finished when Bruce was home because he’s in the studio all the time. So I took that opportunity to work on my album.”
Bruce Springsteen, 74, has also faced his own challenges during the band’s ongoing tour. He had to postpone tour dates from September to December 2023 due to peptic ulcer disease.
After a six-month break, the world tour resumed in March, though he rescheduled three European shows in May due to “vocal issues.”
The new documentary includes footage from Springsteen’s latest tour and features interviews with E Street Band members like guitarist Steven Van Zandt and drummer Max Weinberg. It also explores Springsteen’s thoughts on his future in performing.
*Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band* will be available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ starting October 25.
