Patti Scialfa, wife and bandmate of Bruce Springsteen, reveals secret illness, multiple myeloma

E Street Band was founded in 1972, nearly two decades before Springsteen and Scialfa married in 1991. In 2014, she, along with the rest of E Street Band, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

What is multiple myeloma?

The cancer Scialfa was diagnosed with, multiple myeloma, creates cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow, which prevent the body from producing antibodies and reducing the ability to fight off infection, per Mayo Clinic. It’s not clear what causes it and there’s no cure.

Not everyone with multiple myeloma receives treatment. In some cases, if the cancer is not progressing and not causing symptoms, doctors may opt for a wait-and-see approach. It’s not clear if Scialfa needed or still needs treatment for her myeloma.

Symptoms of multiple myeloma include:

• Bone pain, especially in the hips, spine or chest
• Digestive issues, such as nausea, constipation and loss of appetite
• Mental issues, such as tiredness and brain fog
• Infections
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Thirst and needing to pee more than usual

The cancer is more common in people in their late 60s, as well as men, Black people and those with a family history of multiple myeloma. Treatments, if needed, include immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplant, radiation and more.

Between 42% and 82% of people diagnosed with multiple myeloma survive for four years or more, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Bruce Springsteen’s health issues

Scialfa isn’t the only band member who’s had to deal with illness. In 2023, Springsteen revealed health issues of his own. The “Born to Run” singer announced via X that he and the E Street Band would be postponing their shows because Springsteen had a peptic ulcer.

In 2024, he announced via Instagram that he’d be postponing additional concert dates until the following year on doctor’s orders due to “vocal issues,” TODAY.com reported at the time.

A few months later, Springsteen shared additional details about the ordeal with SiriusXM’s E Street Radio. “When I had the stomach problem, one of the big problems was that I couldn’t sing,” Springsteen said. “You sing with your diaphragm. My diaphragm was hurting so badly that when I went to make the effort to sing, it was killing me. So, I literally couldn’t sing at all.”

Springsteen’s also gotten candid about his mental and physical health. In 2012, Springsteen told The New Yorker that he’d dealt with “intervals of depression.” Scialfa added that therapy has helped him.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: