Australian rock has lost one of its most passionate architects. Rob Hirst, virtuoso drummer and founding member of Midnight Oil, died this Tuesday January 20, 2026 at the age of 70, following cancer.
A major page in the history of rock is being turned today. The members of Midnight Oil announced via social networks the disappearance of their “brother” and co-founder, Rob Hirst. The musician, diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer almost three years ago, died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones, “freed from pain” after a fight described as heroic by his comrades.
Peter Garrett, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey paid a vibrant tribute to the man they describe as “a glimmer of light in the wilderness”. “We are broken (…) For now, there are no words, but there will always be songs”they wrote in the caption of a photo of the group greeting the crowd at the end of a concert.
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The driving force and the feather of Shadow
If the general public often identified Midnight Oil with the imposing stature of its singer Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst was its beating heart. A drummer with inexhaustible energy, famous for his percussive solos on tin water tanks, he led the group “from the back” with rare intensity. His playing, blending technical precision and raw power, defined the “Oils” sound, particularly on the classic Power and the Passion.
But Hirst was much more than a drummer. He was a prolific and committed songwriter. He is the co-author of some of the most iconic anthems of the 80s and 90s. It is his pen and his melodic sense that gave birth to global titles like Beds Are Burning, The Dead Heart or even Blue Sky Minea song written with bitter irony for the asbestos victims of Wittenoom.
A life dedicated to music
Founder of the group in 1972 (then named Farm), Hirst has lived through all eras, from Garrett's meteoric rise to political hiatus, to the farewell tour in 2022. An insatiable musician, he has also shone in side projects like The Break (a surf rock group), Ghostwriters and the blues trio Backsliders.
He leaves behind his wife Leslie, his three daughters, and a repertoire which has marked the political and musical consciousness of several generations.
