Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst dies
Rob Hirst, co-founder and drummer of the legendary Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has died after an almost three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. The band announced the news via their Facebook page, where they reported that Hirst passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.
Robert George Hirst was born on 3 September 1955 in Camden, New South Wales. His musical career began in the early seventies when he performed together with Jim Moginie and Andrew James under the name Farm. The band was founded in Sydney in 1972, and Peter Garrett joined the following year as vocalist. In 1976, the group changed their name to Midnight Oil, with which they would grow to become one of Australia’s most influential rock bands.
Hirst was not only the band’s drummer, but also one of the principal songwriters. Although attention often went to frontman Peter Garrett, Hirst’s musical signature contributed to most of the band’s hits, including “Beds Are Burning”, “The Dead Heart”, “Blue Sky Mine” and “Power and the Passion”.
Midnight Oil were known for their energetic live performances and their involvement in political and social issues. The band used their platform to draw attention to subjects such as Aboriginal Australian rights, nuclear disarmament, climate change and social justice. Their music became a powerful means of conveying these messages to a global audience.
Besides his work with Midnight Oil, Hirst was active in various other musical projects. He was a member of bands such as Ghostwriters, Backsliders, The Angry Tradesmen and The Break. He also wrote the book ‘Willie’s Bar & Grill’, in which he described the experiences of the tour Midnight Oil undertook shortly after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.
Midnight Oil definitively closed their career in 2022 with a show of nearly four hours at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney. Six months later, Hirst received the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Despite the bleak prognosis, he remained musically active. At the end of 2025, he released an EP, “A Hundred Years or More”, together with his old writing partner Jim Moginie and drummer Hamish Stuart.
Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes called Hirst ‘the engine that drove one of the best live bands of all time’ and described him as irreplaceable. The band Cold Chisel also paid tribute to Hirst as a great drummer, songwriter and good friend.
Rob Hirst was 70 years old.
