Morten Harket, lead singer of a-ha, has Parkinson’s disease
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Morten Harket has revealed he has Parkinson’s disease.
The singer of a-ha, the band behind the 1985 hit and innovatively animated music video “Take On Me,” shared the news during an interview with the group’s biographer.
“I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis,” Harket 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’.”
Harket, 65, explained why he wanted to share his diagnosis publicly.
“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,” he said. “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 Mayo Clinic, “Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time.”
Harket had “advanced brain surgery” at the Mayo Clinic, which along with medication, “have softened the impact of his symptoms,” the a-ha biographer, Jan Omdahl, wrote.
“In June 2024, Morten underwent a neurosurgical procedure 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,” Omdahl wrote. “The method is called deep brain stimulation (DBS) and is among the most advanced treatments in neurology. 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.”
Harket’s voice, however, has been affected, he said.
“The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future,” Harket said.
The-CNN-Wire
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