Patti Scialfa reveals rare cancer diagnosis
Patti Scialfa, the wife of Bruce Springsteen and longtime E Street Band member, has revealed that she’s been battling a rare blood cancer, multiple myeloma, since 2018.
Notably, Scialfa, now 71, joined the E Street Band in 1984, just days before the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. She began living with Springsteen later in the decade, and in July 1990, they welcomed their first child, Evan James Springsteen. The couple married in June 1991 and went on to have two more children: Jessica Rae Springsteen and Samuel Ryan Springsteen.
Now, Scialfa has opened up publicly about her long-term battle with cancer for the first time in the documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Due to the immuno-compromising nature of the disease, it has been revealed that she can’t currently tour with the band or perform extensively at concerts, with her participation significantly limited.
“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 explains in the documentary. “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,” she continues. “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.”
Springsteen has also experienced ill health recently. Last year, he was forced to cancel a number of dates, and as the news seemingly appeared out of the blue, it prompted speculation that retirement was imminent. He later revealed that he had been battling peptic ulcer disease and had committed to fully resting and recuperating before returning to the stage of total health in 2024.
During an August show in Philadelphia, Springsteen defiantly dispelled any murmurings that he was planning on quitting. He said: “We’ve been around for 50 fuckin’ years, and we ain’t quitting! We ain’t doing no farewell tour bullshit! Jesus Christ! No farewell tour for the E Street Band!”
Adding: “Farewell to what? A thousand people screaming your name? Get the hell out. I ain’t going anywhere!”
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which follows the group’s most recent world tour, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend. It arrives on Disney+ on October 25th.
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