a-ha's Morten Harket diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, band reveals

4 June 2025, 12:55 | Updated: 4 June 2025, 13:08

By Hannah Watkin

a-ha's frontman has revealed he has Parkinson's disease.

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a-ha's frontman Morten Harket has Parkinson's disease, the band have revealed.

Taking to social media and their official website on Wednesday, June 4, the 'Take On Me' group revealed the 65-year-old's diagnosis.

"This isn’t the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is: Morten has Parkinson’s disease," the band's statement read.

Morten himself responded to the news in an interview article, saying: "I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis. 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.'"

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Until today, Morten's condition had been kept "strictly private" from fans, but the singer has now made the choice to go public with his news.

"Part of me wanted to reveal it. 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," Morten explained.

"I’m trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline," he continued. "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."

a-ha's Morten Harket performing with his bandmates. Picture: Getty

As a-ha's recent article about Morten's condition explains, Parkinson's is not fatal, but it is a degenerative disease which the singer will have to live with for the rest of his life.

Thankfully, recent developments in treatment from the renowned Mayo Clinic in the US mean Morten has been able to get medication and surgery which have "softened the impact of his symptoms".

On the subject of his musical career, Morten said he doesn't "really know" if he can sing now, as a result of his condition.

"I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign... The question is whether I can express myself with my voice," he explained. "As things stand now, that’s out of the question. But I don’t know whether I’ll be able to manage it at some point in the future."

a-ha - Take On Me (Official Video) [4K]

The Norwegian artist is remaining positive about his future, stressing he has never seen his identity as defined by being a singer. "I’ve got other passions too, I have other things that are just as big a part of me," he reflected.

His message to fans following going public with his Parkinson's diagnosis was simple: "Don’t worry about me," he said.

"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. Spend your energy and effort addressing real problems, and know that I am being taken care of."