‘FREE OF PAIN’

80s Rocker Dies at 70 After Cancer Battle

Fellow band members have paid tribute to the drummer of seminal Aussie rock outfit Midnight Oil.

Rob Hirst, co-founder and drummer for Australian rock group Midnight Oil, has died the band confirmed Tuesday. Hirst was 70 and had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2023. “After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain—‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’,” his bandmates wrote in a statement on social media. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to Pankind, Pancreatic Cancer Australia or Support Act.” Over nearly five decades, Hirst powered the group’s sound with forceful rhythms while co-writing lyrics and melodies for key songs including “Beds Are Burning” and “The Dead Heart”. Formed in Sydney during the mid-1970s, Midnight Oil released 13 studio albums and gained recognition for politically charged rock. “It’s been absolutely better than anything anyone could ever ask for,” he said in a 2025 interview when asked for his reflections on life. “And so, if my life is attenuated by this tiny little tumour that threatens to do me in, then I will still consider myself incredibly fortunate.”