Latest news with #NeuroClinicNorway
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A-ha Singer Morten Harket Reveals Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis
A-ha's Morten Harket revealed Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which could impact the 'Take on Me' singer's powerful voice and 'creative future.' Harket, who was quietly battling Parkinson's over the past few years, announced the diagnosis on the Norwegian new wave band's official website via a new interview with A-ha biographer Jan Omdahl. More from Rolling Stone A-ha Detail Evolution of 'Take On Me' in Documentary Clip Tribeca to Premiere Films on Anthony Bourdain, A$AP Rocky, Rick James A-ha Release Remastered 4K Version of Classic 'Take on Me' Video 'I've got no problem accepting the diagnosis. 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,'' Harket said. 'Part of me wanted to reveal it. 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.' According to Omdahl, beginning in June 2024, Harket underwent a neurosurgical procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS), where electrodes are implanted deep inside both sides of the brain. The procedure, 'among the most advanced treatments in neurology,' greatly reduced the physical toll of Parkinson's for Harket, combined with treatment from the NeuroClinic Norway that 'led to a dramatic improvement in his symptoms,' Omdahl wrote. However, Harket's skyscraping vocals — as evidenced on the band's hits 'Take on Me' and 'The Sun Always Shines on TV' — remain impacted by the Parkinson's. 'The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,' Harket said, adding, 'The voice problem comes especially when I take dopamine supplements. If I don't take dopamine, my voice settles down – but then the general underlying symptoms become more pronounced.' 'I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign. I'm broad-minded in terms of what I think works; I don't expect to be able to achieve full technical control,' Harket continued. '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.' A-ha last performed live in July 2022 on a world tour in support of their then-new album True North. Despite the diagnosis, Harket stressed to fans, 'Don't worry about me. Find out who you want to be – a process that can be new each and every day. 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.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Iconic '80s band member diagnosed with Parkinson's as group share statement
A-ha frontman Morten Harket has revealed he has Parkinson's disease. The Norwegian band shared a press release on their own website telling fans of the news and said Morten has been "battling his own body" in recent years. It added: 'This isn't the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is: Morten has Parkinson's disease.' In his own interview on the band's official website, Harket, 65, said he had initially kept the degenerative condition private but has now decided to tell fans. He said: 'I've got no problem accepting the diagnosis. 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.' 'Part of me wanted to reveal it. 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.' Mortem spoke to the band's biographer Jan Omdahl at his home on Norway's south coast for the announcement. He said a few people in his immediate circle knew that he is ill, but he had held off telling more people because of the unpredictable consequences of going public with the illness. But behind the scenes Mortem has been making the most of advanced technology in treating Parkinson's and has been using a method called deep brain stimulation. Morten's neurologist in Norway is Dr. Christina Sundal at NeuroClinic Norway, and she was previously a research fellow with the Parkinson's team at the Mayo Clinic. This is a renowned clinic in the US for medication and advanced brain surgery. Morten underwent a neurosurgical procedure in June 2024 in which electrodes were implanted deep inside the left side of his brain. These are connected to a small pacemaker-like device placed under the skin of the upper chest that sends electrical impulses through the electrodes into the brain. The method is called deep brain stimulation (DBS) and it is among the most advanced treatments in neurology and thankfully Morten responded well. The procedure had the desired effect: with the right electrical impulses now reaching Morten's brain, many of his physical symptoms practically vanished. In December 2024 he underwent a similar procedure on the right side of his brain, which was also successful, and he is still able to drive in Norway although not everything about his body is as it was. His voice has changed with Parkinsons. 'The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,' he says. Asked if he can sing at all, he adds: '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.' 'I was always meant to do different things, but I've ended up with a fairly permanent position as singer in a band. When I say that my identity isn't about being a singer, that's my direct response. It comes straight from the heart. People associate me with it, naturally enough, and I realize that. 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.' Despite these comments he has been writing lyrics on an iPad and has recorded some fairly recent demos. Asked if he had a message for fans, Mortem said: 'Don't worry about me. Find out who you want to be – a process that can be new each and every day. 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.' ENDS
