Bruce Springsteen’s wife and E Street Band member Patti Scialfa disclosed that she had been fighting cancer for a number of years.

Scialfa revealed that she received a multiple myeloma diagnosis in 2018 in Springsteen’s new documentary, Rock Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which debuted on September 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The singer-songwriter told Variety that she had to make the tough decision to step back because the diagnosis made it hard for her to tour with her husband and the E Street Band.

“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,” she said. “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. That’s the new normal for me right now, and I’m OK with that.”

Scialfa previously informed the Asbury Park Press that she chose to play a limited number of gigs on Springsteen’s current tour, which started in February 2023, in order to focus on her solo album and spend more time with her granddaughter Lily Springsteen, who was born in July 2022.