Rob Hirst passes away at 70 after losing battle with pancreatic cancer

Rob Hirst, founder and drummer of popular rock band Midnight Oil, has passed away. He was 70 at the time of his demise. Hirst had been battling his pancreatic cancer. The musician leaves behind his legacy as one of the pioneers in the rock music genre.

Rob Hirst passes away at 70

In a social media post, the band shared the news of their drummer’s passing. The band posted a photo of all of the members on stage and announced that their beloved drummer, Rob Hirst, has passed away. Their statement read, “We are shattered and grieving the loss of our brother Rob. For now there are no words but there will always be songs. Love Always from Jim, Martin & Pete.”

They also shared another post on another platform where they revealed that the star had been battling pancreatic cancer for the past three years. The second post read that Hirst is “now free of pain - ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness’.” They mentioned that he passed away peacefully and was surrounded by his loved ones at the time.

One of Rob’s daughters, Jay O'Shea, also shared an emotional post about her father. “There are no words right now to describe the feeling of losing this great friend and Father. We are all just…. heartbroken. Love you so much Dad, J,” she wrote.

All about Rob Hirst

Rob Hirst was best known for being one of the founding members and a talented drummer of Midnight Oil. He started the band with his close friends at a young age, and after establishing themselves, had Peter Garrett join the group as the lead vocalist.

The band debuted in 1972 and released its first album in 1978. They had a successful and long run until 2002, when they announced that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus. They officially reunited in 2016-2017 and released two new albums. Their last album, ‘Resist’, was released in 2022. They also held a farewell tour in order to interact and perform as a group for the last time with their fans.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”