A-ha Singer Morten Harket Shocks Fans, Reveals He Has Parkinson’s Disease
A-ha Singer Morten Harket Shocks Fans With Parkinson's Diagnosis
Morten Harket -- the singer of Norwegian band A-ha's iconic song "Take On Me" -- has revealed a shocking medical update ... he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
The '80s pop star announced his diagnosis on the band's website Wednesday ... revealing he's had two advanced surgeries -- one in June 2024 and the other in December 2024 -- to have electrodes implanted deep inside each side of his brain, which greatly alleviated his symptoms.
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Still ... it's a long journey ahead with the disease. The band's biographer, Jan Omdahl, spent a weekend with Morten and described his handling of Parkinson's as "a round-the-clock effort to balance medication, signals from the electrodes in his brain, sleep, blood sugar and mindset in a way that keeps the symptoms and side effects more or less in check."
Morten says he's got no problem accepting his diagnosis, but concedes it's a "balancing act" he's still mastering.
And as far as his singing goes, he candidly told Omdahl he's got not idea what the future holds, noting ... "I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign."
He said he does not expect to "achieve full technical control" of his voice ever again, but is more concerned about whether or not he can express himself with his voice, which, as of now, is "out of the question."
Despite the uncertainty, Morten doesn't want fans to worry about him one bit, clearly instructing them ... "Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of."
Morten and his friends Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and Magne Furuholmen formed A-ha in 1982.
The band found global success with their 1985 debut album "Hunting High and Low," which featured hits "Take On Me" and "The Sun Always Shines on TV".