In a deeply personal conversation, legendary singer Bruce Springsteen has stepped forward to share his battles with mental health. During an open discussion with Esquire magazine, while promoting his latest Netflix special, Springsteen On Broadway, the music icon opened up about his mental health struggles. Bruce revealed he experienced his first breakdown in 1982 and now, at the age of 69, relies on a combination of medications to maintain balance in his life.
Finding Himself Through Music
Bruce shared that his early years were marked by a profound sense of emptiness. "When I was a child, and as I entered my teenage years, I felt like I was this void, an empty vessel," he recalled. It wasn't until he discovered the power of music that he began to find his place in the world. "Music became this tool that helped me understand myself. It gave me a sense of identity and purpose," he explained. "But it came from a place of real emptiness. You have to piece together a person from all the things life throws at you," he added, reflecting on the journey of self-discovery that music facilitated for him.
Bruce performing in 1982.
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A Life-Changing Moment
In 1982, around the release of his sixth album, Nebraska, Bruce found himself on a cross-country drive from New Jersey to Los Angeles. He stopped in a small Texas town, where he described experiencing a moment of clarity. "There was something about being away from the chaos of life and love that made me see the cost of it all," he shared. While Bruce admitted that he doesn't know exactly what triggered his breakdown that night, he believes it was the culmination of years of unprocessed emotions and experiences. "As we grow older, the weight of our unresolved baggage becomes heavier... much heavier. The longer we ignore sorting through it, the higher the price we pay," he revealed.
