Legendary Midnight Oil co-founder and drummer Rob Hirst dead aged 70 after pancreatic cancer battle

Legendary Australian musician Rob Hirst, co-founder of Midnight Oil, has died aged 70 after battling cancer.

Hirst was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer more than three years ago, and was open about his health battle, including how he became unable to play his beloved “warhorse” drum kit as his condition worsened.

He started the Oils with Jim Moginie back in 1972, and was later joined by lead singer Peter Garrett and guitarist Martin Rotsey.

The band quickly rose to fame, with Hirst not only becoming a household name for his drumming, but also for his song-writing contributions.

Hirst auctioned off his famous drum kit in October last year, which he said had taken a “beating” over the course of his career.

Midnight Oil announced the sad news on their website on Tuesday.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain – ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’,” the statement said.

“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.”

Cold Chisel frontman Jimmy Barnes paid tribute to Hirst has someone who had a “massive impact on Australian culture”.

“He was the engine driving one of the greatest live bands of all time,” Barnes wrote on social media. “RIP, dear Rob. You are irreplaceable, one of a kind, and myself, my family, and all the rest of this great country will miss you so much.”

Starting out under the name “Schwampy Moose” Hirst, Moginie and then-member Andrew James became known for playing Beatles covers.

A couple of years in, and the band changed their name to “Farm” before seeking a singer in 1976 by placing an advertisement The Sydney Morning Herald.

Peter Garrett joined their ranks, and was soon followed by Rotsey before their manager Gary Morris rounded out the bunch to a group of six, when then took on the name Midnight Oil.

As they rose to mainstream rock popularity on the back of their self-titled debut album released in 1978, the Oils were also known for their political presence.

Hits like 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and the following singles Power and the Passion alongside US Forces also gathered international attention.

Hirst himself was a co-writer on some of the band’s most beloved tracks including Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart and Short Memory.

But his musical endeavours were not limited to just the Oils, with Hirst also lending his skill to other bands including Ghostwriters, Backsliders, the Angry Tradesmen and the Break.

And even amidst his health battle, Hirst released an EP titled A Hundred Years or More in November 2025 alongside Moginie and Hamish Stuart.

As part of the Oils, Hirst enjoyed accolades by the bucket, including a single of the year win for Beds Are Burning in 1988 at the ARIAs and for album of the year for Blue Sky Mining in 1991.

Decades of the writing and performing cycle saw the Oils put out 11 studio albums before their 2002 disbandment - but even this wasn’t the end.

Coming back together in 2016, Hirst and the crew pumped out another two records before rounding things off in 2022 with an accompanying tour.

In an interview with The Australian in 2025, Hirst said he chose to go public with his diagnosis to raise awareness of the cancer which is the country’s fourth most deadly, killing 3,724 Australians in 2023.

“I wanted to get the story of pancreas cancer out there, because it’s one of those cancers that most people don’t really ­register,” he said.

“Coming up to two years, I thought I just need to get this, literally, off my chest. Also, I think that the lesson for me – and maybe why I’ve lasted this long – is because, if you do have any of that kind of symptom, where there’s something that you feel is wrong, just go and get a simple blood test. It could be life-changing, and life-extending.”

Hirst also spoke out in support of voluntary assisted dying, which is now legal across Australia except for in the Northern Territory.

“Why should you have to die in terrible, drawn-out pain?” he asks. “When you’ve had this amazing life – a life like I’ve had – why should end-of-life be so ­horrific when there’s an alternative?

Hirst is survived by his three daughters, two of which he shares with his first wife Leslie Holland.