Musician Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s wife and E Street bandmate, has revealed that she was diagnosed in 2018 with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
The singer-songwriter addresses her diagnosis in the new documentaryRoad Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which premiered on Sunday night (8 September) at the Toronto Film Festival.
US media reports that the film, which follows the “Born in the USA” star and his group of longtime collaborators, Scialfa disclosed that her illness has made it difficult to perform, leading to her decision to take a step back from touring.
“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said in the film, Variety reports.
“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.”
Scialfa explained that she received her diagnosis while she and Springsteen were on the rock singer’s Broadway run in 2018.
The NHS says that multiple myeloma, also known as myeloma, is a form of bone marrow cancer, and can affect several areas of the body including the spine, skull, pelvis and ribs.
Over time, it can cause issues including persistent bone pain, fatigue, weakness and shortness of breath, and blurred vision, headaches or dizziness.
Scialfa, 71, has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984; she was inducted with the rest of the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
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She and Springsteen married in 1991. They have three children together: sons Evan and Samuel, and daughter Jessica.
Last year, Springsteen made a surprise appearance at the New Jersey Hall of Fame ceremony. Inducting Scialfa, he called her his “secret weapon” and his “baby” as he presented her with the award at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
“I met Patti at [New Jersey bar] Stone Pony, where else?” he told the audience. “She was sitting in with the house band, Cats on a Smooth Surface, and I heard that voice of hers and I wondered, ‘Who is that girl?’ I went to find out.”
He continued: “She went on to record and produce with Steve Jordan, her second album, 23rd St Lullaby, and third record, Play as it Lays, once again co-producing with Steve Jordan and Ron Anello, and both are wonderful pieces of work which if she hadn’t been married to some suck-the-air-out-of-the-room attention whore, they would have be much more widely known.”
Springsteen added that Scialfa was a “second-to-none” songwriter and a “street-smart, fascinating, lovely, sexy, beautiful redhead with a sound completely her own”.
Scialfa thanked her husband and bandmate for his introduction, joking: “I’m going to record him … saying this before I go to sleep or ask him to say it again.”
She did not attend the Road Diary premiere. In the documentary, she said that performing on stage with Srpingsteen offers the audience the chance to see “a side of our relationship that you usually don’t get to see.”
“Being back onstage with Bruce is a blast,” she said. “Every night at this tour gives the band a chance to celebrate.”
Springsteen has faced his own health issues of late; he postponed his 2023 tour after being diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease. He also rescheduled further shows earlier this year on advice from his doctor, as he continued to suffer “vocal issues”.
In July, he and the E Street Band received a five-star review from The Independent when they performed at Wembley Stadium.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is scheduled for release on Hulu and Disney+ on 25 October.