Bruce Springsteen shares update on wife Patti Scialfa’s cancer diagnosis
Bruce Springsteen has shared an update on the health of his wife and bandmate, Patti Scialfa. Last month, Scialfa revealed that she had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018, which is a type of blood cancer.
The revelation regarding Scialfa’s wife came as Springsteen unveiled a new documentary about his life on the road. At the premiere of Road Diary, Scialfa, who is now 71, disclosed her diagnosis. In the film, the guitarist discussed how her health had impacted her career, making it difficult to perform and ultimately causing her to make the difficult decision to step back from touring.
Scialfa has played with Springsteen as part of the E Street Band since 1984, when she joined the Born in the U.S.A. tour. She even postponed recording her own solo album to join her fellow New Jersey native on tour. In 1988, after Springsteen split from his first wife, the pair sparked up a romance. They married in 1991 and have since had three kids as well as continuing to work and tour together.
However, Scialfa’s health has meant that she couldn’t join her husband on his latest tours. “This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said of the diagnosis.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean she cant get involved in the shows at all. 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.”
During a trailer for a new ABC news special, titled Bruce Springsteen: Backstage and Backstreets, the musician shared an update on his wife’s health. “She’s doing good,” he said, “We caught it early, which was important. It’s a tough disease. It’s very fatiguing.”
Bruce Springsteen’s health problems
Alongside his wife’s diagnosis, Springsteen himself also recently had some health issues. In late 2023, the musician postponed his tour dates due to peptic ulcer disease. In September, 2023, a statement read, “Bruce Springsteen has continued to recover steadily from peptic ulcer disease over the past few weeks and will continue treatment through the rest of the year on doctor’s advice. With this in mind, and out of an abundance of caution, all remaining 2023 tour dates for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band will be postponed until 2024.”
Earlier this year, Springsteen took the chance to thank his fans for their patience and support on SiriusXM. He shared, “Let me take a moment and thank my fans affected by our postponed shows for their understanding. I am deeply sorry but this belly thing, despite my ability to laugh at it, has been a monster and is still unfortunately rocking my internal world.”
The pain from the ulcers was affecting his ability to sing and perform properly as he explained, “You sing with your diaphragm…My diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me, you know?”
Fortunately, Springsteen recovered enough to fulfil those postponed tour dates and announce more for the future as he shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
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