Bruce Springsteen's wife Patti Scialfa has revealed she’s been secretly battling cancer for six years.
The 71-year-old, known for her role in the E Street Band, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, in 2018 and stepped away from touring to manage her health privately.
The guitarist opened up for the first time publicly about her health battle in the new documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Sunday night.
Reflecting on her decision to cut back on performing, Scialfa shared: “I've been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first performances, it felt so good to be back onstage.
“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.
The musician explained that she now tries to attend every shows but is no longer a regular performer.
She added: “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.”
She and Springsteen have been married since 1991 and have three children: Evan, 34, Jessica, 32, and Samuel, 30.
Meanwhile, Springsteen has also struggled with health issues while touring in recent years.
He was diagnosed with peptic ulcer disease, which led him to take a six-month hiatus from work as it severely impacted his singing.
In an interview earlier this year on Sirius XM's E Street Radio, he described the pain: "You sing with your diaphragm, and mine was hurting so badly that trying to sing was excruciating. I literally couldn't sing at all.
“The pain lasted for two or three months, along with a host of other painful problems.”
