A-ha frontman Morten Harket has revealed he has Parkinson’s disease. 

The band shared a press release on their website on Wednesday and wrote that Morten, 65, has been ‘battling his own body’ in recent years.

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

Morten said he had initially kept the degenerative condition private but has now decided to tell fans. 

He said: ‘I’ve got no problem accepting the diagnosis. With time I’ve taken to heart my 94-year-old father’s atтιтude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: “I use whatever works”.

‘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.

A-ha frontman Morten Harket, 65, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease as band writes ‘he has been battling his own body’ in recent years (pictured in June 2022)

‘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. 

‘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.’

He told the band’s biographer Jan Omdahl that he has been making the most of advanced technology in treating the disease and has been using a method called deep brain stimulation.

His neurologist in Norway is Dr. Christina Sundal at NeuroClinic Norway, and she was previously a research fellow with the Parkinson’s team at the Mayo Clinic. 

He revealed he underwent a neurosurgical procedure called deep brain stimulation (DBS) in June 2024 in which electrodes were implanted into the left side of his brain and he responded well and many of his physical symptoms practically vanished.

In December 2024 he underwent a similar procedure on the right side of his brain, which was also successful. 

His voice has changed with Parkinson’s and told Jan:  The problems with my voice are one of many grounds for uncertainty about my creative future.’

He said: ‘I don’t really know [if I can sing anymore]. I don’t feel like singing, and for me that’s a sign. I’m broadminded in terms of what I think works; I don’t expect to be able to achieve full technical control. 

‘The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. 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.’