Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen’s wife and a member of the E Street Band, has shared that she has been fighting cancer for several years.
In Springsteen’s latest documentary, Rock Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, Scialfa revealed her diagnosis of multiple myeloma in 2018.
As reported by Variety, the singer-songwriter mentioned that this diagnosis made it hard for her to tour with her husband and the band. So she decided to take a step back.
“This impacts my immune system, so I have to be careful about what I do and where I go,” she explained. “Sometimes I can make it to a show or two and sing a few songs on stage; that’s been really nice. That’s my new normal now, and I’m fine with it.”
Earlier on, Scialfa told Asbury Park Press that she chose to perform only a few shows during Springsteen’s current tour starting in February 2023 because she wanted more time with her granddaughter Lily Springsteen who was born in July 2022 as well as work on her solo album.
“I didn’t feel as needed since there were many musicians up there,” said the guitarist. “I did some initial shows but then realized how everything was going; I thought ‘This is great. Everything is working well. There isn’t much space for me to add anything unique.’”
“And mainly because I had an album that couldn’t get done while Bruce was home since he spends all his time in studio. So I took this chance to finish my record.”
Scialfa isn’t alone in facing health challenges either. In September 2023, Springsteen had to delay his remaining tour dates for 2023 while he continued treatment for peptic ulcer disease.
Then early summer of 2024 came around when he again postponed some dates due to health issues related to his voice thankfully affecting just three shows.