Popstar falls ill years ago: A-ha singer Morten Harket has Parkinson’s

The singer and front man of the pop band A-Ha Morten Harket has Parkinson’s. A few years ago, he fell ill a few years ago, as he reported in an interview published on the band’s website. “I have no problem accepting the diagnosis,” the singer emphasized. “Over time, I took the attitude of my 94-year-old father to the gradual giving up of the organism:” I take whatever works “.”

Nevertheless, the disease is an enormous challenge for the father of five, as can be seen from the interview. “I try my best to prevent my entire body from falling. It is a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and dealing with its side effects.” Harket will suffer from Parkinson’s all his life.

The musician was treated neurosurgically in June 2024, and electrodes were implanted in his brain. This so -called deep brain stimulation has significantly alleviated its symptoms. In December there was also a successful intervention on his right brain.

What will become of Harket’s voice – and thus his career?

However, his voice, which is so important for his career, is affected: “The problems with my voice are one of many reasons for the uncertainty about my creative future,” he says.

Will he be able to perform songs like the world -famous “Take on Me” again as before? “I don’t know exactly. I don’t feel like singing, and that’s a sign for me.” The question is whether he can express himself with his voice. “As it looks now, this is excluded. But I don’t know if I will make it at some point in the future.” However, his identity does not depend on singing, so he does not see this as a tragedy.

The pop star continues to write songs

Nevertheless, he had already written some songs that he might want to publish one day. However, he was not yet sure whether that works. He said to his fans: “Don’t worry about me.”

When the Norwegian band released the album “True North” and an accompanying film in 2022, it did not go on tour. At that time, A-Ha keyboardist Magne founded the Furuholmen with the fact that Harket had lost the joy of it. “I don’t think we should go on tour if that only means pressure for him and no pleasure at all,” Furuholmen said in the interview of the German Press Agency at the time.

The characteristic symptoms of Parkinson’s are uncontrollable tremors, slow movements, muscle tension, gait and balance disorders, rigid facial expressions and quiet or monotonous language. Parkinson’s is one of the fastest increasing neurological diseases worldwide. According to current figures, almost 300,000 people aged 40 and over are affected in Germany alone.