Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst reveals pancreatic cancer diagnosis
Rob Hirst, the drummer of classic 1970s Australian rock band Midnight Oil, has revealed that he is currently battling pancreatic cancer.
In an interview with The Australian, Hirst explained that he had been diagnosed with the disease two years ago and has undergone “pretty much every treatment known to man” in order to try and combat it.
The drummer said his health took a turn six months after Midnight Oil had completed their run of farewell shows in Australia in 2023, adding that his stage three cancer has been attempted to be treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, unsuccessful surgery, and “every scan, ultrasound, [and] MRI. I’ve kind of had ‘the works,’” he noted.
Admitting the reason why he has decided to share his diagnosis publicly now, Hirst said: “Coming up to two years, I thought I just need to get this, literally, off my chest. Also, I think that the lesson for me – and maybe why I’ve lasted this long – is because, if you do have any of that kind of symptom, where there’s something that you feel is wrong, just go and get a simple blood test. It could be life-changing, and life-extending.”
Appealing on this front, the drummer wanted to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer as, in his opinion, the disease “hasn’t really attracted the attention, for example, of skin cancers or breast cancers or others.”
Midnight Oil were stalwarts of the Australian rock scene, spanning from their breakout album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 right up until their final record Resist in 2022.
The band split in 2002 before then reforming in 2016, during which time they were also inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2006.
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