The E Street Band's Patti Scialfa reveals cancer diagnosis
She has taken a step away from touring
Last updated 9th Sep 2024
Patti Scialfa, E Street Band star and wife of Bruce Springsteen, has revealed she’s been secretly battling cancer over the past six years.
The 71-year-old musician makes her cancer public in the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last night (8th September).
In the film, Patti reveals she was diagnosed in 2018 with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Patti explained that the she taken a step back from touring as a result of her ongoing illness.
"I’ve been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first performances, it felt so good to be back onstage,” Patti tells viewers.
"Touring has become a challenge for me. In 2018, well, Bruce and I were doing a play on Broadway. I was diagnosed with early stage multiple myeloma."
She continued: "This affects my immune system so I just have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go.
“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."
Patti Scialfa has been a pivotal member of The E Street Band since 1984 and she married Bruce Springsteen seven years later.
Patti was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014. In October 2023, Bruce Springsteen inducted Patti Scialfa into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Commenting on what she brings to his band, Bruce Springsteen said: “The E Street Band was good at many things, but singing harmony was not one of them. So when I met Patti, I felt like I found my secret weapon. In 1984, I asked her to join the E Street Band.”
Patti Scialfa commented during her speech: “To meet and work with so many brilliant musicians and artists and find a piece of that world — a little piece of that world — for myself, I am so deeply grateful to the many people I’ve worked with who have reflected back to me the beauty and transformative power of music.”
Everyone at Greatest Hits Radio wishes Patti Scialfa the very best with her cancer battle.
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band hits Disney + in the UK on 25th October 2024. Sign up to Disney+ here.
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