Bruce Springsteen talks about wife Patti Scialfa's rare blood cancer diagnosis, calls it 'tough disease'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bruce Springsteen has provided an encouraging update on the health of his wife, Patti Scialfa, as she continues her battle with multiple myeloma.

In a recently released trailer for 'Bruce Springsteen: Backstage and Backstreets', an upcoming ABC News special set to air on October 20, the 75-year-old rock legend shared how Scialfa is managing after publicly revealing her diagnosis last month.

Bruce Springsteen reveals challenges wife Patti Scialfa faces

Speaking with ABC News host George Stephanopoulos at the iconic Stone Pony concert venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where the couple first met, Bruce Springsteen expressed optimism.

"She’s doing good. We caught it early, which was important," he said and then acknowledged the challenges Scialfa faces.

"It’s a tough disease. It’s very fatiguing," the music icon added, according to People.

He also addressed why the couple chose to keep Scialfa’s diagnosis private for so long, saying, “She hadn’t played in the band in a long time, and people I don’t think knew why. ‘Where’s Patti?’”

Patti Scialfa’s diagnosis and her return to the stage

Patti Scialfa, 71, has been a member of Springsteen’s E Street Band since 1984, and the two married in 1991.

In September, she revealed in the documentary 'Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band' that she had been living with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, for six years.

The illness impacts her immune system and requires her to live with caution.

In the documentary, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Scialfa reflected on how the diagnosis affected her ability to perform.

“In 2018, well, Bruce and I were doing a play on Broadway. I was diagnosed with early-stage multiple myeloma,” she said.

Despite the diagnosis, she has made select appearances on stage during the band’s ongoing tour, which is set to continue through July 2025.

“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,” said Scialfa.

While the disease has introduced a “new normal” in her life, Scialfa remains passionate about performing.

“That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”Behind the Scenes with “The Boss”

The ABC News special 'Bruce Springsteen: Backstage and Backstreets' will offer backstage access to Springsteen at concerts, as well as personal interviews and reflections on his early life before fame.

Springsteen and Scialfa has three children together, son Evan, daughter Jessica, and son Sam.