Bruce Springsteen’s Heart Is Hungry For Wife Patti Scialfa! Meet the Rocker’s Love of Over 30 Years

Patti Credits Her Grandfather For Her Love of Music

While speaking with New Jersey Monthly in December 2016, Patti recalled how she would often spend time with her grandfather as a child growing up. During this time, she developed her love of music.

“I was 7 or 8 years old, and I would play piano with him. He would be composing, working out the melodies, and he would say, ‘Which ending do you like — this one? Or this one, when the notes go here?’ My opinion actually mattered to him,” she shared.

Patti Once Auditioned For Bruce’s Band

Before joining the E Street Band in 1984, Patti actually previously auditioned to be in his band. In a 2004 interview with Rolling Stone, she remembered how she took a shot at joining the group, but she was ultimately shot down — for the time being, of course — because she was only 15 years old.

“I had seen an ad in the Asbury Park Press that read ‘Touring band, must be able to travel,'” she explained, revealing she called the number and Bruce picked up. “He was very sweet on the phone. I was so relieved.”

Bruce Is Always Impressed by Patti’s Work

After decades of working together, we can imagine it isn’t always glitz and glamour. For Bruce, though, he always has nothing but sweet things to say about creating music with his wife. When the two worked together on the song “Hymn to Him” on singer Dion‘s 2020 album Blues with Friends, Bruce raved over Patti’s contributions.

“Patti was really kind of producing the session, so she gave me a lot of direction as to where to go. She’s quite good at production,” he said to American Songwriter in June 2020. “She had all these different vocal parts and it was just incredibly creative.”

Patti and Bruce’s PDA Grosses Their Kids Out

The longtime couple is no stranger to flaunting their romance, and they certainly don’t hold back when they are around their kids. While chatting with Rolling Stone, Patti joked their PDA grosses their children out so much that they actually ask them to stop.

“They say, ‘Please don’t do that in front of us.'” she quipped. “I said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be happy one day when you look back and know your parents really loved each other.'”

Patti and Bruce Have a Genuine Relationship

When they’re not rocking out together on stage, it’s common to find the couple spending peace and quiet together at their New Jersey home. In May 2020, Patti uploaded a quick clip of the pair horseback riding, writing, “Ticket to ride … happy trails!”

Patti Revealed Her Blood Cancer Diagnosis

In September 2024, the documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In the film, Patti revealed that she was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2018.

“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.”

The diagnosis led her to take a bit of a step back from performing, only joining the band for a handful of concerts during their 2023 tour, which is set to end in 2025.

“I’ve been performing with this band for 40 years. With those first performances, it felt so good to be back onstage,” she added. “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.”