What We Know About Bruce Springsteen's Wife Patti's Health Issues

Bruce Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa, has been dealing with cancer for years, but the world only learned about her diagnosis from the September 8, 2024 screening of Springsteen's documentary, "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band," at the Toronto International Film Festival. The documentary features an intimate moment wherein Scialfa reveals that she has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. "This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go," Scialfa says in the documentary (via Variety). "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."

Early this month, the 75-year-old shared an update on his second wife's six-year health battle while talking about the upcoming release of his documentary. "She's doing good," the "Dancing in the Dark" singer said during a special with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "We caught it early, which was important." In the documentary, the 71-year-old musician explained that she received her diagnosis back in 2018 while working on the "Springsteen on Broadway" stage production. The couple chose to remain silent up until now, but their decision to announce the news in a documentary comes from a good place.

Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa share three children and have been together for 30 years. They've performed on stage since the early '80s, so many fans were understandably confused about her inconsistent appearances. The speculation prompted the "Streets of Philadelphia" artists to share how the disease had taken its toll. "They found it early on and she's got really good doctors, who have helped a lot. But it does fatigue her, very intensely, and that's a problem," Bruce Springsteen told The Times. "We've worked out that she can come out and sing a few songs, and it's important that the fans know what's going on because they haven't seen her in five years. Patti decided she owed that to her audience."

According to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the disease is caused by malignant plasma cells — that is, cells that become cancerous and overcrowd the normal cells involved in immune function. This affects the kidneys, bone health, and blood count, which causes an array of debilitating symptoms. Patti Scialfa faces an uncertain future, given that there is no cure for multiple myeloma. Instead, treatment focuses on symptom reduction, so the goal is to reduce most or all of her symptoms to the point of remission.