Morten Harket, lead singer of Norwegian synth-pop group A-ha, announced on Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, in a shock for their army of fans.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, causing symptoms like tremors, stiffness of the limbs, slowness of movement and difficulty with balance and coordination.
While there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, it can be managed with medication, physical therapies and lifestyle changes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Morten’s health battle
Morten revealed the news via the band’s website, and spoke to their biographer Jan Omdahl about how his health had faring since the diagnosis. “I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis,” he said. “With time I’ve taken to heart my 94-year-old father’s attitude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: ‘I use whatever works.'”
He continued: “I’m trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline. It’s a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects.”
“There’s so much to weigh up when you’re emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general.”
Finding his voice
© WireImageThe “Take On Me” singer shared that the disease had affected his voice, leaving A-ha’s future in question. “The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,” Morten said, adding that he felt no joy in using his instrument. “I don’t feel like singing, and for me, that’s a sign,” he explained.
The 65-year-old shared that while singing was everything to him, he was branching out into other passions to find his identity outside of music.
“I see singing as my responsibility, and at certain moments I think it’s absolutely fantastic that I get to do it. But I’ve got other passions too, I have other things that are just as big a part of me, that are just as necessary and true,” he said in the interview.
© AFP via Getty ImagesAs for his vocal decline, Morten explained that while he likely wouldn’t regain “full technical control” over his voice, he had been writing songs that held a deeper meaning for him.
He told Jan he was writing music that “I’ve got great belief in, and I feel the lyrics, especially, have something of a different aspect of me in them.”
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish them for release. Time will tell if they make it,” he added. “I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with something completely outside the box. It’s all up to me, I just have to get this out of the way first.”
Moving forward
© RedfernsMorten underwent neurosurgery twice in 2024 to implant electrodes in his brain, which have improved both his symptoms and his lifestyle. Addressing his fans in the interview, he assured that he would be okay, and encouraged them to live their lives to the fullest.
“Don’t worry about me. Find out who you want to be – a process that can be new each and every day,” he said. “Be good servants of nature, the very basis of our existence, and care for the environment while it is still possible to do so. Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.”
His bandmate Magne Furuholmen shared that all of A-ha’s future activities “will of course be tuned to suit Morten’s situation.”
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