“Such a Lovely and Inspiring Man:” Midnight Oil Co-founder, Drummer Rob Hirst Dies at 70
Rob Hirst, the Midnight Oil co-founder, drummer and songwriter, has died at 70, his former bandmates said.
“We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob,” the surviving Oils said Jan. 20 on social media. “For now, there are no words, but there will always be songs.”
Hirst had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer shortly after the 2022 conclusion of Midnight Oil’s farewell tour.
“You left this world a far better place than the way you found it,” the Hoodoo Gurus wrote on social media. “Your creativity, passion and joy has left its mark on all of us, and the strength of your spirit will be an inspiration forever.”
Hirst, who co-wrote such songs as “Beds are Burning,” “The Dead Heart” and “Short Memory,” was a mainstay from the group’s 1976 founding and played on all 13 Midnight Oil LPs released between 1978 and 2022. When the band was on hiatus, Hirst played with Ghostwriters, Backsliders and other bands.
Powderfinger’s Ian Haug credited Hirst with inspiring the group’s founding and thanked him for the “time and advice” he provided.
“R.I.P., Rob Hirst,” Haug wrote on social media. “What an absolute beast of a drummer, songwriter and character.
“Such a lovely and inspiring man.”
1/20/26
