Rob Hirst, drummer, songwriter, and co-founder of the iconic Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died at the age of 70 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. The band confirmed the news through its social media channels, stating that Hirst passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. In a message shared on Instagram, his bandmates, led by vocalist Peter Garrett, paid tribute to him with heartfelt words.
“After nearly three years of heroic struggles, Rob is now free from pain,” they wrote, describing him as “a small spark of light in nature” and an irreplaceable presence within the group. Hirst was far more than Midnight Oil’s drummer. In addition to providing the band’s distinctive rhythmic backbone, he was a key songwriter behind many of its most influential songs, including Beds Are Burning, Blue Sky Mine, and Read About It, tracks that blended rock music with strong political and social messages.
Midnight Oil was formed in Sydney in 1976 and rose to international prominence in the following decades through its outspoken stance on issues such as social justice, environmental protection, and human rights. The band became known for using music as a vehicle for protest, setting it apart from much of the mainstream rock scene of its era. One of the clearest examples of that commitment was Beds Are Burning, a song that criticized the displacement and poor living conditions of Australia’s Indigenous peoples and called for the return of their ancestral lands.
The track went on to become an international anthem for Indigenous rights. In one of his final interviews, given in November to Australia’s public broadcaster ABC, Hirst spoke openly about his illness. He revealed that he was diagnosed in 2023 and had since undergone multiple treatments, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and had also survived a severe case of sepsis.
Despite his declining health, Hirst remained creatively active for as long as possible. Born in 1955 in Camden, southwest of Sydney, he never stopped seeing himself first and foremost as a musician, maintaining his artistic identity even through the most difficult moments of his life. In their farewell statement, Midnight Oil’s members captured the sentiment shared by generations of fans: “There are no words, but there will always be songs.” With Rob Hirst’s passing, Australian music loses one of its most influential rhythmic voices, and socially conscious rock bids farewell to one of its enduring pillars.
