Bruce Springsteen’s wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa said that she had been battling cancer for several years.
Scialfa stated during the September 8 Toronto International Film Festival premiere of Springsteen’s new documentary Rock Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2018.
According to Variety, the singer-songwriter had to make the difficult decision to stand back because her diagnosis prevented her from touring with her husband and the E Street Band.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she told me. “Every now and then, I attend a gig or two and get to sing a few songs on stage, which is a treat. That is the new normal for me right now, and I am fine with that.
Prior to this, Scialfa told the Asbury Park Press that she chose to focus on her solo album and spend more time with her granddaughter Lily Springsteen, who was born in July 2022, by playing only a few shows on Springsteen’s current tour, which began in February 2023.
“I didn’t feel as needed in a way because there were a lot of musicians on stage,” according to the guitarist. “I did the first couple of concerts, and as I watched how everything was going, I thought, ‘This is great. This is fully intact. “There isn’t much room for me to add anything special.”
“The important difficulty was that I couldn’t finish the record when Bruce was home since he was always in the studio. So I used that occasion to complete my record.”
Source: Wikimedia Commons
It’s not just Scialfa who has health problems. Due to his continuous treatment for peptic ulcer disease, Springsteen was forced to postpone his remaining 2023 tour dates in September 2023.
Once more, a medical condition forced him to cancel tour dates in the early summer of 2024. Fortunately, it only affected three dates this time around due to “vocal issues.”
My thoughts and prayers are with Patti Scialfa as she fights multiple myeloma.
