Rob Hirst, the powerhouse drummer and co-founder of Australian rock band Midnight Oil, died Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at age 70 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Hirst died peacefully surrounded by loved ones, the band confirmed. He had been diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer in 2023 and fought the disease for almost three years.
Born September 3, 1955, in Camden, New South Wales, Australia, Hirst formed Midnight Oil in 1976 alongside Peter Garrett, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey. The band was initially named Farm before adopting the Midnight Oil moniker. Based in Sydney, the group would go on to become one of Australia’s most politically charged and internationally successful rock acts.
Hirst served not only as the band’s drummer but as a founding member and principal songwriter, co-writing the lyrics and songs that defined Midnight Oil’s activist spirit and distinctive sound. His songwriting credits include some of the band’s most iconic tracks: Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart, Power and the Passion, Short Memory and Forgotten Years.
Beds Are Burning, the anthemic call for Indigenous land rights, peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, bringing international attention to both the band and the issues they championed. The song’s parent album, Diesel and Dust, hit No. 21 on the Billboard 200, while the follow-up album Blue Sky Mining reached No. 20 on the same chart.
Over the course of their career, Midnight Oil released 13 studio albums. The band went on hiatus in 2002 when Garrett left to pursue federal politics in Australia, but resumed playing in 2017.
Beyond Midnight Oil, Hirst maintained a prolific creative output across multiple projects. He was a member of Ghostwriters, Backsliders, The Break, and The Angry Tradesmen, exploring different musical styles and collaborating with diverse artists. His work spanned over 30 albums between 1978 and 2022, demonstrating both his versatility and relentless creative drive.
In November 2024, Hirst released the EP A Hundred Years or More, a deeply personal project created late in his battle with cancer. In 2020, he collaborated with his daughter Jay O’Shea on an album. O’Shea had been given up for adoption at birth, but father and daughter reunited in 2010, forging both a personal relationship and musical partnership.
Hirst is survived by his wife Leslie Holland, and daughters Gabriella, Lex, and Jay.
The accolades Hirst received throughout his career reflected the impact of his music on Australian culture. Midnight Oil was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006, an honor that recognized the band’s contribution to shaping the sound and social consciousness of Australian rock. In 2018, Hirst and his bandmates received the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music at the APRA Music Awards.
In the 2026 Australia Day Honours, Hirst was awarded the Order of Australia AM posthumously, a national recognition of his lifetime contribution to the performing arts and Australian music.
During his illness, Hirst became an advocate for voluntary assisted dying, speaking publicly about his support for the right to end suffering on one’s own terms.
His death follows that of Midnight Oil bassist Bones Hillman, who died in November 2020 at age 62, also from cancer. The loss of both musicians within six years marks a profound change for the band and its legacy.
Hirst’s drumming style provided the foundation for Midnight Oil’s urgent, driving sound, which carried messages about environmental destruction, Indigenous rights, nuclear disarmament, and social justice to audiences worldwide.
The combination of Garrett’s towering stage presence and distinctive vocals with Hirst’s thunderous percussion created a live performance experience that was both musically fierce and politically uncompromising. Midnight Oil concerts became known not just for their musical energy but for their unapologetic activism, with the band using their platform to advocate for causes often ignored by mainstream rock acts.
Hirst’s work with Ghostwriters, Backsliders, and The Break allowed him to explore musical territory beyond the hard-driving rock of Midnight Oil. The Break, which included fellow Midnight Oil members Moginie and Rotsey, delved into instrumental surf rock, while Backsliders pursued blues and roots music. These side projects revealed Hirst’s range as a musician and his commitment to collaboration across genres.
The reconciliation with his daughter Jay and their subsequent musical collaboration added a personal dimension to Hirst’s later years, demonstrating that his creative partnerships extended into his family life. Their 2020 album together represented both a healing of past separations and a continuation of the artistic legacy that defined his career.
As news of his death spread, tributes poured in from across the music community, recognizing Hirst not just as a drummer but as a songwriter, activist, and mentor whose influence shaped generations of Australian musicians. His nearly three-year battle with pancreatic cancer ended with his death surrounded by family members who had supported him through his final struggle.
