Patti Scialfa has revealed a six-year battle with the blood cancer multiple myeloma in the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. The 71-year-old musician, who has been married to Springsteen since 1991, has only occasionally performed with the band over the past several years but her absence was not addressed at the time.
Per People, Scialfa said she was diagnosed in 2018 while Springsteen was performing in his acclaimed Springsteen on Broadway show. Because her treatment has weakened her immune system, she will no longer tour with the E Street Band, which she joined in 1984.
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“I just have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said in the movie, which premiered Sunday night (Sept. 8) at the Toronto International Film Festival and will debut Oct. 25 on Hulu. “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.”
Scialfa previously sat out E Street Band performances from 1993-2004 while raising her three children. Her three solo albums include Rumble Doll, 23rd Street Lullaby, and Play It as It Lays.
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