Midnight Oil drummer and founding member Rob Hirst has died at the age of 70, almost three years after being diagnosed with stage three pancreatic cancer.

The Australian rock legends confirmed his passing in a social media post on Tuesday night (Jan 20), sharing two throwback photos of a young Hirst behind the kit.

“After fighting heroically for almost three years, Rob is now free of pain, ‘a glimmer of tiny light in the wilderness,’” the band wrote. “He died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones. The family asks that anyone wanting to honour Rob donate to @pankind_australia or @supportact.”

In a follow-up post, bandmates Peter Garrett, Jim Moginie and Martin Rotsey shared a more recent photo of the four of them on stage together at the end of a performance.

“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 wrote.

Midnight Oil formed in Sydney in 1972 under the name Farm, before becoming Midnight Oil in 1976. Across their career, the band released 13 studio albums, from their 1978 self-titled debut through to 2022’s Resist. They took a long break between 2002 and their reunion in 2016, before embarking on their final tour in 2022.

Outside of Midnight Oil, Hirst played in a number of other projects, including Ghostwriters, Backsliders, the Angry Tradesmen and surf rock outfit The Break.

Hirst went public with his cancer diagnosis last year. He is survived by his wife Leslie Holland, daughters Alexandra and Gabriella, and eldest daughter Jay O’Shea.

Very sad news. Rest in peace, Rob.