A-ha’s Morten Harket has discussed for the first time his years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The Norwegian singer, songwriter and ‘80s heartthrob announced the diagnosis on the new wave trio’s website, by way of an interview with the band’s biographer Jan Omdahl.
“I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis,” he explains. “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’”.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, neurological movement disorder that primarily affects the brain’s ability to control movement, and often presents with symptoms like tremors, rigidity, and slowness of movement.
It’s an affliction that doesn’t bow to wealth or fame, and can strike at any age, although it’s typically associated with older adults. Other celebrities with Parkinson’s include Michael J. Fox, Neil Diamond, Ozzy Osbourne and Linda Ronstadt.
“Part of me wanted to reveal it,” Harket adds. Acknowledging the diagnosis “wasn’t a problem for me; it’s my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me.”
Now 65, Harket underwent multiple invasive procedures last year, in which electrodes were implanted deep inside his brain. These so-called “deep brain stimulation” surgeries had the “desired effect,” reads a statement.
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Hailing from Oslo, Harket, Magne “Mags” Furuholmen and guitarist/chief songwriter Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, had a smash for the ages with “Take On Me,” an iconic electro-pop track that showcased the frontman’s impossible range.
Originally released in 1984, the song initially failed to make an impression. The following year it was relaunched with its groundbreaking, Steve Barron-directed music video, which blends pencil-sketch animation and live action.
The clip was a huge hit with the MTV generation and it launched a-ha into the big league. The single went to No. 1 in 36 territories, including Australia.
Images of a-ha were immediately plastered on bedroom walls, and the front pages of music titles around the globe. In 2020, the music video passed one billion views on YouTube. It’s now at 2.1 billion views.
The hits didn’t end there. A-ha’s debut album Hunting High And Low went to No. 2 in the UK and No. 15 in the US and also yielded the top-20 hit “The Sun Always Shines on TV.” Career album sales are north of 55 million.
A-ha visited Australia in early 2020, just prior to the pandemic, to headline a national run of arena shows and open-air dates for the A Day On the Green series. Prior to that, the band last performed in Australia back in 1986, for 14 sold-out concerts.
Predictably, no future a-ha performances are pencilled in. “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,” Harket remarks. “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.”
Adds Harket, “The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future.” Read the blog in full here.
