A-ha frontman Morten Harket, the voice behind the 1985 megahit Take On Me, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the Norwegian band’s website confirmed in a Wednesday article.
The 65-year-old said that he had “no problem accepting the diagnoses” and stressed, “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'."
"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,” he shared.
Harket also revealed that he had undergone two different brain surgeries. Last June, he underwent deep brain stimulation, which saw "electrodes were implanted deep inside the left side of his brain." In December, he underwent a similar procedure on the right side of his brain.
While the singer is revealing his diagnosis now, the news is not new to him, and it took some time before he was able to share the details of his diagnosis with fans.
"Part of me wanted to reveal it," Harket told band biographer Jan 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.
While Harket’s voice has been enjoyed by fans for decades, the star affirmed that now might be the time he put away the microphone for good.
"The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future," he said. “...I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign.”
"I see singing as my responsibility, and at certain moments I think it's absolutely fantastic that I get to do it,” he shared "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."
While his future in music remains unclear, Harket shared that he was working on a song at the moment. "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. It's all up to me, I just have to get this out of the way first," he shared.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged, according to Britain’s National Health Service. The process happens over several years and progressively worsens in most cases.
A loss of nerve cells the substantia nigra reduces dopamine in the brain, which causes the body to struggle to regulate body movement.
The main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include involuntary tremors, slow movement, and stiff or inflexible muscles.
While experts remain divided on the causes of Parkinson’s disease, it is thought to be the result of a mix of genetic and environmental factors.