Bruce Springsteen‘s wife, Patti Scialfa, has revealed that she has been battling a rare form of blood cancer since 2018.
READ MORE: Bruce Springsteen live in London: the heartland hero remains firmly at his majestic peak
Scialfa – who is also a member of Springsteen’s E Street Band – has now opened up about her multiple myeloma diagnosis for the first time in the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
The musician shared that due to the immuno-compromising nature of the disease, she is no longer able to tour with the group or perform extensively at concerts. “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 said in the documentary (per Far Out Magazine).
“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 added, continuing: “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.”
Scialfa joined the band back in 1984 as the only woman in the group and plays guitar and tambourine while also providing backing vocals. She joined the band days before the ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ Tour commenced.
Later in the 80s, she and Springsteen moved in together and went on to have their first child in 1990. The two got married in 1991 and proceeded to have two more children.
Last year, Springsteen praised his wife as he inducted her into the New Jersey Hall Of Fame, calling her “My secret weapon”.
He also said that Scialfa was a “second to none” songwriter with “deft lyrical work” and a “street-smart, fascinating, lovely, sexy, beautiful redhead with a sound completely her own”.
Elsewhere, the ‘Streets Of Philadelphia’ hitmaker reflected on his long-spanning career ahead of the release of his documentary.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band premiered at the Roy Thomson Hall at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday (September 8) with The Boss in attendance.
In a post-screening Q&A, Springsteen reaffirmed that he intends to keep performing music until “the wheels come off”, per Variety. “If I went tomorrow, it’s OK,” he told the crowd to applause. “What a fucking ride!”
Just last month, Springsteen insisted he was not planning for “farewell tour bullshit” anytime soon.
“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!” he said in a clip shared by Consequence.
Earlier in the summer, Springsteen’s guitarist Steven Van Zandt even teased more shows for the future, despite rumours that the music legend could soon be retiring.
NME attended the musician’s London gig last summer, writing in a five-star review that the “heartland hero remains firmly at his majestic peak”.
It added: “The Boss conjures magic and mayhem as he delivers a career-spanning set for the first of his two sold out London shows.”
Meanwhile, Jeremy Allen White recently opened up about preparations for his role as Bruce Springsteen in the upcoming biopic titled Deliver Me From Nowhere.
“I’ve had some access to him and he’s just the greatest guy,” he said of the music legend, who was “really supportive of the project”.
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