A-ha Frontman Morten Harket, 65, Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease: ‘Never-Ending Rollercoaster Ride’

Morten Harket, nan frontman for A-ha, has been diagnosed pinch Parkinson’s disease.

On Wednesday, June 4, nan Norwegian set shared nan wellness update connected their official website pinch a station written by their biographer Jan Omdahl.

“​​You cognize him arsenic a-ha’s iconic frontman, a divinely talented singer, reluctant popular star, solo artist, songwriter, eccentric thinker, begetter of 5 and a grandfather too, but successful caller years Morten Harket has besides been a man battling his ain body,” Omdahl began nan statement.

Harket, 65, admitted that he wanted to uncover his test but kept it backstage for a while, only sharing nan news pinch a fewer group successful his soul circle. However, he prioritized his request for “peace and quiet”  successful bid to “prevent my full strategy from going into decline.”

"I’ve sewage nary problem accepting nan diagnosis,” he said. “With clip I’ve taken to bosom my 94-year-old father’s cognition to nan measurement nan organism gradually surrenders: ‘I usage immoderate works.’”  

“It’s a difficult balancing enactment betwixt taking nan medicine and managing its broadside effects,” he continued. “There’s truthful overmuch to measurement up erstwhile you’re emulating nan masterful measurement nan assemblage handles each analyzable movement, aliases societal matters and invitations, aliases day-to-day life successful general.”

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Harket said that he underwent precocious encephalon room doubly — successful June 2024 and December 2024 — astatine nan Mayo Clinic, which “softened nan impact” of his symptoms.

However, successful summation to his galore symptoms, nan illness has impacted nan singer’s voice. He admitted that he doesn’t really cognize if he tin singing now astatine all.

“The problems pinch my sound are 1 of galore grounds for uncertainty astir my imaginative future,” he said. “I don’t consciousness for illustration singing, and for maine that’s a sign. I’m broadminded successful position of what I deliberation works; I don’t expect to beryllium capable to execute afloat method control.” 

“The mobility is whether I tin express myself pinch my voice. As things guidelines now, that’s retired of nan question. But I don’t cognize whether I’ll beryllium capable to negociate it astatine immoderate constituent successful nan future,” he continued. "I spot singing arsenic my responsibility, and astatine definite moments I deliberation it's perfectly awesome that I get to do it. But I've sewage different passions too, I person different things that are conscionable arsenic large a portion of me, that are conscionable arsenic basal and true."

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Additionally, nan station explained that Harket’s Parkinson’s illness has been “a never-ending rollercoaster ride.”

“On bully days, Morten shows virtually nary motion of galore of nan astir acquainted beingness symptoms of Parkinson’s, doesn’t mean that he is well,” Omdahl wrote, noting that nan musician requires "round-the-clock effort” to equilibrium medication, signals from nan electrodes successful his brain, sleep, humor sweetener and his mindset.

"This isn't ever successful,” Omdahl said.

For now, Harket is telling fans “don’t interest astir me” and explained that he’s going to “listen to nan professionals” astir what’s adjacent successful his curen journey.

"Spend your power and effort addressing existent problems, and cognize that I americium being taken attraction of," he said. “It utilized to fuss maine to deliberation astir my sickness becoming nationalist knowledge. In nan agelong tally it bothers maine much to person to protect thing that is strictly a backstage matter by treating it arsenic a secret.”

Harket and his friends Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen formed A-ha successful 1982. The set had world occurrence pursuing their debut medium Hunting High and Low, which featured megahit “Take On Me.”

Parkinson’s illness is simply a progressive encephalon upset that affects nan tense system, nan National Institutes of Health says. It causes unintended aliases uncontrollable movements, specified arsenic a tremor successful nan hands, arms, legs aliases head, musculus stiffness and trouble pinch equilibrium and coordination.

Symptoms typically worsen complete clip and arsenic nan illness progresses, and group whitethorn person trouble stepping and talking. Parkinson’s tin besides origin intelligence and behavioral changes, slumber problems, depression, representation difficulties and fatigue.

In summation to Harket, different stars who person opened up astir being diagnosed pinch Parkinson’s see Michael J. Fox, Ozzy Osbourne,​​ Billy Connolly, Linda Ronstadt, Ed Begley Jr. Brett Favre and more.