A-ha star Morten Harket diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

BBC News

3 days ago

A-ha frontman Morten Harket has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.The news was announced on Wednesday on the Norwegian synth-pop band's official website in an article written by their biographer Jan Omdahl, which also revealed the singer had already undergone brain surgery twice.Harket, 65, said he had "no problem accepting the diagnosis". He added: "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'".A-Ha are best known for their megahit Take On Me, taken from their 1985 debut album Hunting High and Low which peaked at number two in the UK chart.
Omdahl, who penned the A-ha biography The Swing of Things, wrote: "You know him as A-ha's iconic frontman, a divinely gifted singer, reluctant pop star, solo artist, songwriter, eccentric thinker, father of five and a grandfather too, but in recent years Morten Harket has also been a man battling his own body."This isn't the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is: Morten has Parkinson's disease."
He went on to note how the singer's condition had until now remained strictly private, but for a few people in his immediate circle who knew he was ill.Omdahl also wrote about how the "unpredictable consequences" and stress of going public with the illness had led him holding off making an announcement."Part of me wanted to reveal it," Harket told him. "Like I said, acknowledging the diagnosis wasn't a problem for me; it's my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me."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."According to the NHS website, Parkinson's disease is caused by "a loss of nerve cells in part of the brain called the substantia nigra" which leads to "a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain."Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the movement of the body, and so symptons can include involuntary shaking, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles; as well as depression and anxiety.
'I don't feel like singing'
Omdahl stressed that while Harket will have to live with the disease for the rest of his life, medication and brain surgery at the Mayo Clinic in the US have, he said, "softened the impact of his symptoms".He said the star underwent an advanced neurosurgical procedure - called deep brain stimulation (DBS) - in June last year, in which "electrodes were implanted deep inside the left side of his brain."In December 2024, Harket underwent a similar procedure on the right side of his brain, he added, which was also successful.While he can still drive his car, Harket is less sure about his future as a singer."The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future," he said.His biographer described how, on good days, Harket shows "virtually no sign of many of the most familiar physical symptoms of Parkinson's" but still requires a "round-the-clock effort" to balance medication, signals from the electrodes in his brain, sleep, blood sugar and his mindset - to keep the symptoms at bay."This isn't always successful, and is more like a never-ending rollercoaster ride," added Omdahl.Asked by the writer if he can sing now at all, Harket replied: "I don't really know. I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign."I'm broadminded in terms of what I think works; I don't expect to be able to achieve full technical control. The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. "As things stand now, that's out of the question. But I don't know whether I'll be able to manage it at some point in the future."He added: "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."
The article highlighted how other stars who have lived with Parkinson's include fellow singer Ozzie Osbourne, actor Michael J Fox and late boxing champion Muhammad Ali.Harket said he was now going to "listen the professionals", urging fans "don't worry about me"."Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of."He revealed he has been working on new song lyrics but was "not sure" if he'll be able to finish and release them."Time will tell if they make it. 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."He concluded: "It used to bother me to think about my sickness becoming public knowledge. In the long run it bothers me more to have to protect something that is strictly a private matter by treating it as a secret."Harket, who also enjoyed a solo career and co-hosted the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, was knighted in Norway in 1992 - along with his A-ha bandmates Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen - for their services to Norwegian music and international success.