Rob Hirst, Midnight Oil drummer and songwriter, dies at 70

Midnight Oil founding drummer and longtime co‑writer Rob Hirst has died at 70, the band announced in an emotional statement posted to its official social channels. The group said Hirst “died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones” and that after a prolonged illness he is now free of pain.

The band wrote: “We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob. For now, there are no words, but there will always be songs. Love always from Jim, Martin [and] Pete.” A follow-up post added: “After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain, ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness.’ He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The family asks that anyone wanting to honor Rob donate to @pankind_australia or @supportact.”

Hirst had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023 and endured nearly three years of intensive treatment. In an April interview, he said he had undergone “pretty much every treatment known to man – every scan, ultrasound, MRI. I’ve kind of had ‘the works,’” and reported feeling well at that moment; his oncologist described him as “pretty stable at the moment.” Friends and colleagues noted the physical toll the disease took on a drummer whose career was built on stamina and power.

A co‑founder of Midnight Oil in Sydney in 1972, Hirst was the rhythmic engine behind a band that fused hard rock with outspoken political conviction. He helped drive hits and albums across decades, contributing to the group’s reputation for fierce live shows and activist stands on Indigenous rights and environmental issues. Midnight Oil were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006 and, after reuniting, received the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music. The band reformed in 2017, toured internationally and released The Makarrata Project in 2020 and Resist in 2022, the latter reaching No. 1 on the Australian albums chart.

Hirst’s musical reach extended beyond Midnight Oil. He collaborated with The Ghostwriters, Backsliders, Hirst & Greene, Rob Hirst + Sean Sennett, The Angry Tradesmen and The Break, and released a collaborative album with his daughter Jay O’Shea in 2020. As recently as November he put out a deeply personal EP titled A Hundred Years or More, a project noted in coverage of his death as his final solo release.

Throughout his illness Hirst remained active in charity work. He auctioned his prized 1979 Ludwig drum kit, used on Midnight Oil’s second album, raising tens of thousands of dollars for causes while acknowledging he could no longer “thrash rock ’n’ roll drums anymore.” The band’s request for donations directs fans to Pankind / Pancreatic Cancer Australia (@pankind_australia) and the music‑industry charity Support Act (@supportact).

Hirst’s passing has rekindled grief across the Australian music community still mourning the loss of bassist Bones Hillman in 2020. Musicians, industry groups and fans are expected to mark his life and work in coming days, and the band indicated that more memories and tributes will follow.

Family representatives and Midnight Oil have not released a separate date of death beyond the announcement; further statements from band members, collaborators and music organizations are anticipated. For now, Hirst’s legacy is carried in a catalogue of songs, a record of public commitment and the drum fills that helped define a generation of Australian rock.