Rob Hirst, Midnight’s Oil’s ferocious drummer, dead at 70

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”

Rob Hirst, the drummer and co-founder of the Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died. He was 70.

The band confirmed Hirst’s death from pancreatic cancer in statements posted to social media.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain — ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band said. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.”

“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” they added. “For now there are no words but there will always be songs.”

Hirst, born in Camden, New South Wales, founded the band that became Midnight Oil with schoolmates, and it released its debut album on its own independent label in 1978. The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism. Hirst was known for his stylish flair behind the kit, inspiring young Aussie drummers with his intro music for the TV show “Beatbox,” and the thrashing water-tank solo on “Power And The Passion” that brought down the house at live gigs.

1983’s “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1” hit number three on the Australian charts, and 1987’s album “Diesel and Dust” — a suite of songs about the troubles facing Indigenous Australians — launched the band to global fame. Its anthemic but urgent single “Beds Are Burning” became one of the group’s best-known hits, topping out at number 17 on the Hot 100 in 1988. They released 1990’s “Blue Sky Mining” with a concert outside Exxon’s headquarters in New York to protest its handling of an oil spill in Alaska. The group also charted with singles “Blue Sky Mine” and “The Dead Heart,” all of which had co-songwriting credits from Hirst.

“We take on, headlong, all the things that you’re supposed to avoid. We fight the battles that we jointly feel we have to fight and we win some and we lose some,” Hirst told United Press International in 1988.

Midnight Oil broke up in 2002 when singer Peter Garrett left to pursue a political career in Australia’s Labor Party. They reunited in 2017 and released two more LPs, 2020’s “The Makarrata Project” and 2022’s “Resist,” and played their final show in 2022.

Hirst had several side projects, including the band Ghostwriters, which released four albums, and the prolific blues-rock group Backsliders. He self-released an album, “Born Electric,” in 2025, and an EP, “A Hundred Years or More,” with Midnight Oil bandmate Jim Moginie and Hamish Stuart. Hirst’s daughters, Gabriella and Lex Hirst, also sang on the EP. He also auctioned off his drum kit last year to benefit two Australian musicians’ charities, MusicNT and Support Act.

He reflected on death in his later music, speaking about his illness in a recent interview with The Age. “I realise it’s quite an existentialist bunch of songs, with titles like ‘Are We There Yet?’ and ‘A Hundred Years or More,’” he said. “I suppose I’ve been thinking about lifespan and longevity — legacy, even. And, of course, that comes out in the songs… Now that I’ve started counting back in life rather than counting forward, the days are even more precious.”