After battling Parkinson’s disease for some time in private, A-ha‘s Morten Harket is now sharing his diagnosis with the public.
By way of a letter written by the band’s biographer, Jan Omdahl, the singer broke the news to fans that he has been receiving treatment for the neurological disorder “in recent years,” undergoing surgeries last June and December to implant symptom-reducing electrodes on both sides of his brain. Harket also said that he’d been having conflicting feelings for quite some time about whether he should go public with his diagnosis.
“Part of me wanted to reveal it,” he told Omdahl. “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.”
“It used to bother me to think about my sickness becoming public knowledge,” Harket added. “In the long run, it bothers me more to have to protect something that is strictly a private matter by treating it as a secret.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s is a “movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time,” often causing tremors and affecting the motor skills of patients. There is no cure for the degenerative disease, but medicines and surgery can help ease symptoms.
For Harket, both treatment paths have “led to a dramatic improvement in his symptoms,” though he still faces regular exhaustion and strain. He also said that his singing abilities have been affected, but it’s not of primary concern for him right now.
“I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign,” he told Omdahl. “The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. As things stand now, that’s out of the question … 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.”
Even so, the Norwegian singer has been working on new music throughout his journey with Parkinson’s, revealing that he has “great belief” in the material that’s sprung out of this period in his life. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to finish them for release,” Harket said. “Time will tell if they make it. I really like the idea of just going for it, as a Parkinson’s patient and an artist, with something completely outside the box.”
He also added that — while appreciative of the concern fans will undoubtedly have for him as they learn of the news — he’s already weary from the anticipation of all the messages of sympathy and unsolicited advice headed his way. “Don’t worry about me,” he said when asked what he wants listeners to know at this time. “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.”
Harket added, “Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of.”
Over the past couple of decades, cases of disability and death caused by Parkinson’s have been “rapidly spreading,” according to the World Health Organization. As of 2019, an estimated 8.5 million people had the disease, an ever-growing population that also includes stars such as Michael J. Fox, Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner’s Mick Jones, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt and Marc Cohn, who have all been open about their diagnoses.
A-ha was one of the defining pop groups of the 1980s, landing three entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in the second half of the decade: “The Sun Always Shines on T.V.,” “Cry Wolf,” and No. 1 hit “Take on Me.” The group is comprised of Harket and friends Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, who formed the group in Oslo in 1982.
