Revered Midnight Oil co-founder and iconic drummer Rob Hirst has died after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, leaving behind an immense legacy.
The global music community is mourning the loss of Midnight Oil’s legendary drummer Rob Hirst, who died at 70 following an almost three-year fight with pancreatic cancer.
He is survived by his wife, Lesley Holland, and their daughters, Gabriella, Lex, and Jay.
“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain – ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’,” his bandmates shared via the Oils’ social media channels.
“He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to @pankind_australia or @supportact.”
Widely regarded as one of Australia’s most respected musicians and celebrated internationally, Hirst was born on September 3, 1955. He spent his early childhood in Camden in Sydney’s outer west before his family later moved to the northern beaches.
After playing in high school bands, he co-founded the group that would become Midnight Oil—then known as Farm—with his friend Jim Moginie in 1972.
Soon after, frontman Peter Garrett and Martin Rotsey joined, forming the core lineup that would define the band for the next five decades.
Renowned for his thunderous force behind the drum kit—and later for pounding the steel water tank during Power and the Passion—Hirst helped Midnight Oil build their reputation as a ferocious live act in the harsh pub rock era of the 1970s and 1980s.
The band quickly set itself apart from other Australian pub rock contemporaries through outspoken musical activism, challenging politicians and corporate power while becoming committed advocates for the rights of Indigenous Australians.
Although he never considered himself a strong singer, Hirst’s unmistakable vocals became a defining harmony in the Oils’ sound, and he took lead vocal roles on well-known tracks, including Kosciuszko.
His final music release arrived in November last year: a deeply personal EP titled A Hundred Years or More, created with his Oils bandmate Moginie and fellow drummer Hamish Stuart.
At the time, he described himself as “lucky” to have experienced a music career spanning six decades—continually writing and performing not only with Midnight Oil, but also across numerous side projects, including Ghostwriters and the Backsliders.
He had recently attended the 70th birthday celebration of Ghostwriters bandmate and Hoodoo Gurus member Rick Grossman, and spoke about how grateful he felt for the life music had given him.
“At Rick Grossman’s big birthday, Reg Mombassa and members of the Gurus were there, Hamish and Jim were there, and we’re all around talking about how lucky we were that all our bands landed in the late 70s, early 80s, when people were tribally loyal to the bands they loved,” Hirst said.
“They went out every night and supported us and we could then afford great PAs and light
“It was before all the pubs closed down and Spotify and Live Nation and AI and all these terrible things that have become obstacles for new musicians coming up.
“God, how lucky were we? So we might be legends, but we’ve been very lucky legends.”
Beyond his family and bandmates, Hirst’s greatest passion was the natural beauty of Australia’s ocean and bush.
A dedicated advocate for environmental protection—both through his music and his actions—he found daily joy in immersing himself in the sea at the dog beach near his Manly home.
“I tell you what, swimming in salt water is just not to be underestimated. It’s the best tonic,” he said in November.
“I’m very lucky here, you know, to be down close to the harbour and it’s just a walk through a bit of bush and then I can throw myself in with all the dogs at the little beach.
“The locals call it Dog Beach, because one of the few places they’re not chased off by a ranger. And yeah, we’re very lucky. We found this place, you know, almost 40 years ago.”
Hirst also took pride in making music with all three of his daughters. Gabriella and Lex contributed their voices to the A Hundred Years Or More EP, and in 2020 he released The Lost and the Found with Jay O’Shea.
That record came a decade after father and daughter reconnected; O’Shea had been adopted as a baby after her birth mother became pregnant as a teenager.
Hirst was diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in April 2023—just six months after Midnight Oil performed their final concert at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion in October 2022.