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In the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Patti Scialfa- musician and wife of Springsteen – revealed that she was diagnosed with early stage multiple myeloma in 2018. Scialfa has been noticeably absent from much of the E Street Band’s latest tour.
Scialfa, 71, shared in the documentary (which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday night) that she is doing well, but the disease impacts her immune system. “I have to be careful where I go and what I do,” shared Scialfa. “That’s my new normal right now.” Scialfa added that her presence during the 2023-2024 tour with Springsteen was diminished due to her illness (via People): “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.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that impacts plasma cells, which are type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow. Plasma cells help the body fight infections by producing antibodies. In myeloma, abnormal plasma cells multiply uncontrollably and crowd out normal blood cells, interfering with the production of healthy blood cells and antibodies. This can lead to weakened bones, kidney problems, anemia, and a weakened immune system.
Scialfa joined the E Street Band in 1984 as a back-up vocalist shortly before the start of the Born in the USA tour. She and Springsteen began dating in the late 1980s before they were married in 1991. Scialfa took off eleven years off to focus on their family and raising their children before returning to touring with the E Street Band in 2004.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will debut Oct. 25 on Hulu.
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