Bruce Springsteen reached a significant milestone. He became a grandfather after having children later in life. He was bestowed with the title after his youngest son Sam became a parent.
Bruce Springsteen achieved early musical success, recording smash singles such as “Born to Run” and “My Hometown” that catapulted him to stardom. He sold over 150 million records globally, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
However, he has not been as fortunate in his love life, since his path to real happiness has been difficult. He says that it took him marrying a beautiful young blonde for him to understand that his heart belonged to the lady with whom he shared a stage every night.
In Los Angeles, he met his first wife, Pacific Northwest model-turned-actress Julianne Phillips. He portrays her as a lovely, clever, educated, and beautiful blonde at the age of 24.
On May 13, 1985, soon after midnight, they married at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego, Oregon. As romantic as it may seem, it was far from reality.
Springsteen began experiencing severe anxiety episodes shortly after the wedding. He hadn’t informed his young bride, maybe to keep her from running away, that he was scared of commitment and had been for years.
That was merely a portion of the issue. Springsteen’s touring began to strain the marriage, but there was more to it than he revealed. For years, the singer had performed with bandmate Patti Scialfa, but their relationship had ended.
Springsteen, however, began looking at Scialfa through a different lens shortly after marrying Phillips and suddenly discovered he was drawn to her. They met during his “Tunnel of Love” tour in 1988 and fell in love.
They began an affair, but it became public after a photographer saw them hugging up on a balcony at the Rome Hilton, with Springsteen in his underpants.
A week later, the two were photographed spending a lot of time together, eating late at night, and heading to the gym together. One gymgoer revealed:
“They were certainly a “couple,” smiling and fooling about.”
Springsteen and Phillips divorced in 1988 after it became clear that his romantic attention had shifted, but the separation was kept private. Soon after, he moved in with Scialfa.
Phillips filed for divorce in Los Angeles on August 30, 1988, citing irreconcilable differences. According to Springsteen, he humiliated Phillips and did not manage the divorce properly, adding:
I handled Julie and my divorce abysmally. “I made a difficult situation more heartbreaking than it needed to be.”
Before getting married on June 8, 1991, on the grounds of their shared Beverly Hills estate, Scialfa and Springsteen had their first child together, a son named Evan James, in 1990.
Jessica Rae, their second child, was born the same year they married. Three years later, on January 5, 1994, they welcomed their third child, a boy named Sam Ryan, into their little family.
Fatherhood changed the singer’s life, and he began to realize what it meant to be a man. Having established himself as a musician, he made his family a priority.
Springsteen also thanked his wife for “bringing” a lot of love into their marriage and for being steady and sturdy enough to support him through his worst days.
Looking back on the beginning of her relationship with Springsteen, Scialfa recalls being so deeply attached that she didn’t expect it to be major news. Even yet, it was difficult to remain behind the scenes when the news of their romance broke. She revealed:
“I was simply really protective of myself and my relationship, trying to get through that difficult moment as graciously as possible.”
It’s been more than three decades since the couple went down the aisle. They have raised their children, who are now adults with independent lives and occupations, effectively.
Springsteen had nothing but kind words to say about his wife after spending so much time together. He describes her as the focus of his life and a source of advice and inspiration.
They are still in love with each other, both on stage and at home, and are not afraid to express it. Scialfa claims that their incessant kissing and demonstrations of affection irritate their children.
Evan, Springsteen and Scialfa’s first son, followed in his parents’ footsteps, as many famous offspring do. His love of music has led to him occasionally singing and performing on stage alongside his father.
Nonetheless, Springsteen revealed that his children had little interest in their parents’ music and favored other music idols as they grew up. Even now, he keeps a quiet profile, only appearing at red carpet events and on his parents’ social media on occasion.
