As A-ha celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album Hunting High and Low, the band’s frontman Morten Harket has announced he has Parkinson’s disease.
The 65-year-old Norwegian singer responsible for iconic 80s pop songs like Take on Me, revealed to the band’s biographer Jan Omdahl that he’s kept his diagnosis hidden from the public so he could find a way to manage the neurodegenerative disorder.
“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’,” he shared.
“Part of me wanted to reveal it. 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 balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects.”
SUPPORT FROM HIS BANDMATES
Reacting to the news, Morten’s A-ha bandmate Magne Furuholmen, 62, said he will be working with Morten and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, 63, to accommodate Morten’s heartbreaking diagnosis.
“Having known about Morten’s diagnosis for some time does not take the force out of the blow, nor diminish the impact it has had and will continue to have on us – as people and as a band,” Magne shared on social media.
“The news brings sadness, but it is worth it to remember through the hurt that there is also a lot of gratitude: for all the amazing memories,, how our combined creative efforts have been so generously embraced by the world and for how lucky we are that people continue to find meaning, hope and joy in our shared musical legacy.”
Fans of the band have also taken to social media to share their support for Morten.
“Stay positive and live a healthy and joyful life,” one fan wrote.
“Since the news came out, I’ve had time to absorb it and I’m still unable to put into words how upset and sad I feel. Morten was my uni crush during a time when posters adorned dorm rooms and Walkmans played A-ha cassettes… What a voice,” another shared.
TAKING ON TREATMENT
To reduce the severity of his symptoms, Morten underwent a procedure called deep brain stimulation on the left side of his brain in June 2024, and the right side in December.
This ‘advanced’ treatment connects the left side of the brain to a small pacemaker-like device under the skin that sends electrical signals to the brain.
Morten said both of these procedures have worked with many of his physical symptoms disappearing, but he is unsure if he will still be able to perform in the future.
“I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign,” he admitted.
“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.”
Despite his devastating diagnosis, Morten shared that he doesn’t consider losing his voice to be a great tragedy, revealing he’s never identified too strongly with his role as A-Ha’s lead singer.
“I see singing as my responsibility, and at certain moments I think it’s absolutely fantastic that I get to do it,” Morten said.
“But I’ve got other passions too, I have other things that are just as big a part of me.”
