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Cook, 67, who plays fiddle and guitar, said he was diagnosed
four years ago with the disease, which robs sufferers of balance
and causes tremors.
"For me, this has made it extremely frustrating to try and play
guitar, fiddle or sing," Cook said in a video statement for The
Tennessean newspaper.
"I’m not calling it quits but sometimes our bodies dictate what
we have to do, and mine is telling me it’s time to take a break
and heal."
Alabama, which also includes Cook's cousins Randy Owen and Teddy
Gentry, broke in to the national country music scene in the
1980s and has sold some 75 million records. The band was named
entertainer of the year - the top award - three times by the
Country Music Association and was inducted into the Country
Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
The band said it planned to continue to record as a trio and
with hopes Cook will join them on stage from time to time.
Cook's announcement followed recent speculation that he had a
substance abuse problem.
"That’s the part that hurts so bad, for people to think that
he’s intoxicated or something," Owen said, saying that the trio
had kept the diagnosis secret for years.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant)
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