Midnight Oil Drummer Rob Hirst Dead at 70

Rob Hirst, the drummer and a founding member of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died at age 70 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Hirst had been diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2023. In a statement posted to social media, Midnight Oil said he died peacefully, surrounded by family.

"After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain - 'a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,'" the band wrote. "He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

"The family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia or Support Act."

Hirst helped shape Midnight Oil's sound and was known for his forceful drumming and for co-writing many of the band's best-known songs. His credits included "Beds Are Burning," "The Dead Heart," "Short Memory," "The Power and the Passion," "Forgotten Years," and "King of the Mountain."

Born in New South Wales in 1955, Hirst received his first drum kit at age 12 while recovering from surgery after a benign tumor was found in his right leg, The Guardian reported.

In 1972, he formed a band with school friend Jim Moginie. The group went through several early names, including Schwampy Moose and Farm, before expanding its lineup.

In 1975, Hirst placed an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald seeking a lead singer.

The ad was answered by Peter Garrett, whose arrival completed the core lineup. With Garrett on vocals, Hirst on drums, Moginie on guitar and keyboards, and Andrew James on bass, the band was later joined by guitarist Martin Rotsey and manager Gary Morris.

The band renamed itself Midnight Oil in 1976. James was later replaced by Peter Gifford and subsequently by Bones Hillman.

Midnight Oil went on to release 13 studio albums over nearly five decades. Hirst remained with the band until its extended hiatus in 2002, which coincided with Garrett's move into federal politics. The group reunited in 2017 and resumed touring and recording.

Moginie described Hirst's importance to the band in his 2024 memoir The Silver River.

"Rob was brash, funny and super intelligent, contrary to the clichéd view of drummers," he wrote, calling Hirst Midnight Oil's "engine room, onstage and off."

Outside of Midnight Oil, Hirst was involved in a range of other musical projects. During a hiatus in the 1990s, he co-founded the Ghostwriters with guitarist Andrew Dickson and Hoodoo Gurus bassist Rick Grossman, releasing four albums.

He also played in the blues group the Backsliders with vocalist Dom Turner, and in the experimental post-punk outfit the Angry Tradesman.

Later, he formed surf rock band the Break alongside Moginie, Rotsey, Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie and Hunters & Collectors trumpeter Jack Howard. The Break released albums in 2010 and 2013.

In 2025, Hirst spoke publicly about his illness and his support for voluntary assisted dying, which he was eligible for under New South Wales law.

"Why should you have to die in terrible, drawn-out pain?" he told the Australian. "When you've had this amazing life – a life like I've had – why should end-of-life be so horrific when there's an alternative?"

Reflecting on his life, he said, "It's been absolutely better than anything anyone could ever ask for. And so, if my life is attenuated by this tiny little tumour that threatens to do me in, then I will still consider myself incredibly fortunate."

Hirst is survived by his wife, Leslie Holland, daughters Alexandra and Gabriella Hirst, and his eldest daughter Jay O'Shea, a musician. O'Shea was given up for adoption at birth and reunited with Hirst in 2010.