Midnight Oil bassist Bones Hillman dead at 62

Midnight Oil bassist Bones Hillman died at 62 on November 7 after battling cancer, the band confirmed.

The New Zealander, born Wayne Stevens, has died at his home in Milwaukee. He first joined the group in 1987, in time to appear on their acclaimed 1990 album, Blue sky mining, and its follow-up, Earth and sun and moon. Midnight Oil split up in 2002 but reformed several times, returning to full-time operations in 2018, and Hillman was a part of every incarnation.

“We mourn the loss of our brother Bones Hillman,” the group said in a statement. “He was the bassist with the beautiful voice, the band member with the mean sense of humor and our brilliant musical mate. … He’s played and sung on every Midnight Oil record since Blue Sky Mining and we’ve done thousands of shows together. They added: “Our dear friend and companion will be sorely missed and we extend our deepest condolences to Denise, who was a tour de force for him.

In an undated autobiography on his website, Hillman referred to a career that included working with old friend and former roommate Neil Finn, producer David Bowie, Tony Visconti and Elvis Costello. “I’ve played with a lot of other types of musicians – rock, country, solo artists – I love all of that,” he noted. “I’m very happy to be a session musician, a pistol for rent. I always consider life a big adventure, and I love going out and playing. I don’t care how big or small the place is, or the fame or not of the group.