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Bruce Springsteen just gave fans a much-needed update on his wife Patti Scialfa and her health following her recent cancer diagnosis.
In a sneak peek of the upcoming ABC special, Bruce Springsteen: Backstage and Backstreets, set to air on Tuesday, October 15, the legendary musician shared, “She’s doing good; we caught it early, which was important. It’s a tough disease; it’s very fatiguing.”
Per Variety, Scialfa, 71, revealed last month that she has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. She announced the news during Springsteen’s documentary titled Rock Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the film, she explained that her health condition had been a factor in her decision to take a step back from Springsteen and the E Street Band’s current world tour, which commenced in February 2023 and is set to run until July 2025.
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“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said. “Every once in a while, I come to a show or two, and I can sing a few songs on stage, and that’s a treat. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that,” she said in the documentary.
Last year, Springsteen, 75, faced his own health issues, postponing multiple performances due to peptic ulcer disease. The E Street Band announced the postponements in a statement, explaining, “Mr. Springsteen is being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease, and the decision of his medical advisors is that he should postpone the remainder of his September shows.” He returned to the stage in March of 2024.
Springsteen and Scialfa have been married since the early 90s, but their story began long before that. The duo connected in the early 1980s when they met at a local bar. Scialfa ended up joining Springsteen and the E Street Band as a backup vocalist during the iconic Born in the U.S.A. tour in 1984, and their chemistry was palpable both on and off the stage.
It wasn’t until 1988, after Springsteen’s separation from his first wife, Julianne Phillips, that their relationship took a romantic turn, tying the knot in 1991. They share three children – Evan, 32, Jessica, 31, and Sam, 27.
