Tragic Details About Bruce Springsteen's Wife Patti
Bruce Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa's health issues were kept under wraps for several years before the singer revealed all in a documentary about their band, E Street, in 2024. Scialfa's been married to Springsteen since 1991 and has been a member of E Street since the '80s. Despite the affair rumors that have plagued Springsteen and Scialfa's marriage, the two still seem to be going strong and determined to continue supporting each other after a tough couple of years. Their documentary, titled "Road Diary," saw Scialfa sharing something very personal with fans — she'd been diagnosed with a type of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma.
Scialfa first received the diagnosis in 2018 and had been battling it privately before making it public. Multiple myeloma has no cure. Cleveland Clinic notes that doctors can treat the symptoms and prescribe medication to slow the cancer's spread, but nothing more can be done beyond that. This type of cancer is rare and can be pretty aggressive. It affects the body's plasma cells, causing white blood cells to produce abnormal antibodies, which primarily affects the kidneys and bones. The immune system is also compromised, thanks to the lack of healthy white and red blood cell production.
Scialfa noted that her compromised immune system, among other things, has kept her from regularly performing with the band since her diagnosis. "I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go," she explained in the documentary (via AP News). "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." Despite the tragic health diagnosis, she and her husband have done their best to make the most of the last few years.
Patti's diagnosis has had a profound impact on both her and her husband's everyday lives
Getting a cancer diagnosis is a huge shock — not just for the person diagnosed, but also for their loved ones. For Bruce Springsteen, watching his wife go from his full-time band partner to only performing with him every now and then has been hard — and it's been hard for Patti Scialfa, too. "It [the cancer] does fatigue her, very intensely, and that's a problem," Springsteen told The Times after his wife made her diagnosis public.
During a panel for the premiere of their band's documentary, Springsteen told reporters that his wife's diagnosis had been very hard on the both of them and that they'd been forced to reckon with their mortality. "Patti and I have had to deal with her illness, and you're worried about... it is a part of your life now, questions of mortality, and it just becomes a part of your life," the singer admitted (via People). In the documentary, Scialfa touched on how her cancer diagnosis has affected her career, saying that doctors discovered she had cancer while she and Springsteen were gracing the stage on Broadway in 2018. Things have changed drastically since then. "Touring has become a challenge for me," she admitted. The fatigue caused by her illness has greatly impacted the way they live their lives.
Doctors echo these sentiments. "Myeloma treatment is a marathon," multiple myeloma specialist Dr. Manni Mohyuddin told NBC News. "This isn't cancer that you can surgically remove and cure. This is a cancer that requires long term, ongoing treatment and lifelong monitoring."
Patti has had to support her husband during health battles of his own
Bruce Springsteen has weathered many tragedies in his lifetime, and his wife, Patti Scialfa, found herself having to support her husband during a health crisis of his own while also managing her cancer diagnosis. In September 2023, Springsteen canceled tour dates after he was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease. He was in so much pain that he couldn't sing. "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?" Springsteen admitted during an interview with Sirius XM's E Street Radio host Jim Rotolo (via Hello!). "That lasted for two or three months, along with just a myriad of other painful problems."
An insider told Radar that Scialfa was understandably worried about her husband and reminded him how important it is for her and their entire family that he takes care of himself. "She's the first to remind him that his family needs him healthy even more than his fans do," the insider said. Springsteen seemed to take his wife's advice to heart — a source revealed that he made an effort to improve his health after his diagnosis. "He's made some serious life changes, totally cleaned up his diet and cut out all the booze. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get his health back," they said.
Taking care of himself paid off, and Springsteen was back on stage in March 2024. In September of that year, Scialfa joined him. Hopefully, she'll be able to continue doing so every now and then.