Bruce Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa, who is also a member of the E Street Band, has revealed that she has privately been battling blood cancer.
Scialfa, 71, opened up about her diagnosis in a new documentary, "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," sharing that she first learned she had multiple myeloma in 2018, during the "Springsteen on Broadway" concert residency.
In the film, Scialfa acknowledged the challenges of touring with the illness, saying that although it "felt so good to be back on stage," "touring has become a challenge," according to The Guardian.
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"[The illness] affects my immune system so I just 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 been a treat. That's the new normal for me right now, and I'm OK with that."
"Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" premiered on Sunday night at the Toronto Film but as Variety noted, Scialfa did not attend the event.
Scialfa has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984, contributing backing vocals during the "Born in the USA" tour. She and Bruce Springsteen began a romantic relationship after his divorce from Julianne Phillips, and they were married in 1991.
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Springsteen, too, has faced health issues. Last February he and the E Street Band launched a global tour, marking their first since 2017, but in September had to postpone the remainder of that year's dates as Springsteen received treatment for peptic ulcer disease. He apologized to fans while opening up about his health in October, during his SiriusXM "E Street Radio" show.
"I am deeply sorry but this belly thing, despite my ability to laugh at it, has been a monster and is still, unfortunately, rocking my internal world," he said at the time, according to the New York Post.
In May Springsteen postponed four more shows on doctors' orders, citing "vocal issues."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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