Bruce Springsteen has be writing love and heartbreak songs for over five decades and most of his material seems to have come from his own life.
The singer-songwriter been married twice, dated a number of girlfriend, and built a beautiful family.
In this article we will talk about his wives, past relationships, and children.
How Many Times Has Bruce Springsteen Been Married, And How Many Children Does He Have?
Bruce Springsteen has been married twice and has three children.
His was first married to actress Julianne Phillips from 1985 to 1989.
He married for the second time to musician Patti Scialfa in 1991, and the couple still remain happily married.
All three of his children, Evan, Jessica, and Sam, were born during his relationship with Scialfa.
Who Is Bruce Springsteen’s Wife Patti Scialfa?
Bruce Springsteen’s wife is Patti Scialfa, a singer, guitarist, and longtime member of the E Street Band.
Patti Scialfa’s age is 73. She was born July 29, 1953, in Deal, New Jersey.
Scialfa joined the E Street Band in 1984 as its first female member, playing tambourine and singing backing vocals. Springsteen has said he noticed her almost immediately, recalling in one interview, “I went, ‘Who is that gorgeous redhead singing like Ronnie Spector or Dusty Springfield?'”
At the time, though, Springsteen was still married to Julianne Phillips, so the relationship stayed professional at first.
Springsteen and Scialfa’s relationship became public around 1988, as his first marriage was ending. The couple married in 1991 and have now been together for more than three decades.
Beyond her work with the E Street Band, Scialfa has released solo albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside the rest of the band in 2014.
What Illness Does Patti Springsteen Have?
Patti suffers from multiple myeloma. It is a rare cancer that affects plasma cells in the bone marrow.
She was diagnosed with the disease in 2018 but the duo only revealed the illness in the 2024 documentary Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Talking about her illness, Patti said,
“This affects my immune system, so I have to be careful what I choose to do and where I choose to go,”
The diagnosis explained why she’d stepped back from full-time touring in recent years, though she continued joining Springsteen and the band on select nights when she was able to.
How Is Bruce’s Wife Patti Doing Now?
As of August 2026, Patti is in remission.
Springsteen shared the update publicly while supporting the Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike ride that raises money for cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where Scialfa has been treated. Talking about his wife, he said,
“Patti’s been living with her multiple myeloma for over eight years, but now, thankfully, she is in remission.”
Who Is Bruce Springsteen’s First Wife Julianne Phillips?
Bruce’s first wife was Julianne Phillips, a model and actress he married in May 1985.
The two met in 1984 and married soon after. However, unfortunately, the marriage only lasted for about three and a half years.
Following the divorce, Phillips went on to star in the NBC drama Sisters in the early 1990s before finally retiring from acting by 1997.
Why Did Bruce Leave His First Wife?
Springsteen has said the marriage struggled because he and Phillips were fundamentally different people, and because he’d fallen for his bandmate, Patti Scialfa.
In his 2016 memoir, Born to Run, he wrote candidly about it: “Patti was a musician, was close to my age, had seen me on the road in all of my many guises and viewed me with a knowing eye. She knew I was no white knight.”
He also took responsibility for how it played out, writing, “I dealt with Julie’s and my separation abysmally, insisting it remain a private affair, so we released no press statement, causing furor, pain and ‘scandal’ when the news leaked out.”
In a separate 1997 interview with The New York Times, he put it more simply: “My first wife’s one of the best people I’ve ever met. She’s lovely, intelligent, a great person. But we were pretty different, and I realized I didn’t know how to be married.”
Phillips filed for divorce in August 1988, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was finalized in March 1989.
Did Julianne Phillips Ever Remarry After Divorcing Bruce Springsteen?
No, Julianne never got married again after the divorce.
The actress has reportedly been in a long-term relationship with producer Marc Gurvitz for years.
Not only this, the former actress has also mostly remained out of the spotlight, occasionally appearing at charitable events.
How Much Money Did Julianne Phillips Get From Bruce Springsteen?
If reports are to be believed, Phillips reportedly received around $16 million in divorce settlement. However, the details was never confirmed by the couple.
What Song Did Bruce Springsteen Write About Julianne Phillips?
Their marriage is widely believed to have inspired Springsteen’s 1987 album Tunnel of Love, released while the relationship was falling apart.
The album is generally read as a meditation on the difficulty and disillusionment of long-term commitment, themes that map closely onto what Springsteen has since said about the marriage.
Springsteen hasn’t confirmed that any single song is specifically “about” Phillips, but the album as a whole is consistently connected to that period of his life by biographers and critics.
Did Julianne Phillips Ever Have Children?
Julianne and Bruce did not have children together.
Publicly available information doesn’t indicate she had children from any relationship since.
What Is Julianne Phillips Doing Now?
She lives a private life away from the limelight since her retirement from acting in 1997.
She’s reported to be in a long-term relationship with producer Marc Gurvitz and has been involved in philanthropic work, occasionally appearing at charity events.
In fact, she also didn’t appear in the Springsteen’s 2025 biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere.
Bruce Springsteen’s Children: How Many Biological Kids Does He Have?
Bruce Springsteen has three biological children, all with his wife, Patti Scialfa.
His children are:
Evan James Springsteen, born 1990
Jessica Rae Springsteen, born 1991
Sam Ryan Springsteen, born 1994
Jessica became a professional equestrian and competed for the U.S. Olympic show jumping team. Sam became a firefighter before later joining his father on tour as a guitarist. Evan has largely stayed out of the public eye.
Who Were Bruce Springsteen’s Girlfriends?
Before marrying Julianne, Springsteen dated several women during the 1970s and early 1980s. Here’s the list of girlfriends he has dated:
Lynn Goldsmith: A photographer Springsteen dated in the late 1970s.
Karen Darvin: A model he was linked to during the same general period.
Karon Bihari: An artist he dated around 1978, reportedly the inspiration for his song “Candy’s Room.”
Joyce Hyser: An actress he dated for close to five years, from 1978 to 1982. She later said, “Bruce and I were together for almost 5 years. I grew up with him. We are friends to this day.”
Did Bruce Springsteen Really Have A Girlfriend Named Faye?
No, not exactly.
“Faye” is a fictional character from Springsteen’s 2025 biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere, played by Odessa Young.
She’s a composite character, built from several real women Springsteen dated during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rather than one specific person.
The character draws most heavily from his real relationship with Joyce Hyser, though filmmakers have said they intentionally avoided modeling her too closely on any single real girlfriend, partly to protect those women’s privacy.
Who Was The Love Of Bruce Springsteen’s Life?
By Springsteen’s own account, that’s Patti Scialfa.
He’s described their relationship in strikingly consistent terms over the decades. In one public statement defending their marriage against breakup rumors, he called their years together “the best 18 years of my life.”
Their relationship has now lasted more than three decades, spanning marriage, three children, and, more recently, Scialfa’s cancer diagnosis and recovery, a stretch of time Springsteen has described as testing but ultimately strengthening their bond.
Also Read: Bruce Springsteen Net Worth: Is He Really A Billionaire?
