Rob Hirst , the original and longtime drummer for the Australian rock band Midnight Oil , passed away on Tuesday, the 20th, at the age of 70, after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
The band announced the news via a post on social media . “After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free from pain. A small glimmer of light in the desert. He died peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” the statement read. The family also asked fans who wish to honor Hirst to make donations to cancer charities such as the Pankind – Australian Pancreatic Cancer Foundation or Support Act .
The drummer played on all 13 Midnight Oil albums, from their self-titled debut in 1978 to Resist . The band achieved its greatest success in the late 1980s with the songs "Beds Are Burning," "Blue Sky Mine," and "Forgotten Years."
Hirst's passing occurred five years after the death of Bones Hillman , Midnight Oil's longtime bassist, who also succumbed to cancer in November 2020 at the age of 62 .
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