Derryn Hinch’s heart-wrenching final social media posts before his death at 82

Derryn Hinch was reflecting on his life, his health and his decades-long career in the days and hours before his death.

The veteran broadcaster died aged 82 at home while sleeping overnight, his former colleague and personal assistant Annette Philpott confirmed on Friday.

In his final social media post, shared at 4.56pm on Thursday, Hinch uploaded a photo of his brother, describing him as “earnest”.

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In the days and weeks leading up to his death, the New Zealand-born broadcaster had been reminiscing about his career, reflecting on ageing and sharing updates about his health and diet with followers.

On June 18, Hinch shared a photo of pink flowers he had received for his 80th birthday, saying he had initially thought they were five years old.

“I miscalculated. Those pink flowers for my 80th birthday are actually 2 years and 5 months old,” he wrote. 

“I am now making plans for my 85th party. Will they still be here? Will I?”

Just a day before his death, Hinch also shared a throwback photograph from his early days as a reporter on police news at the Sydney Sun.

“Going through my old files, I still think this is my best ever pic as a cocky young Police Rounds reporter on the Sydney Sun,” he said. 

Hinch frequently shared photos of homemade soups, describing them as part of his “soup experiment”, while other meals he posted reflected the soft-food diet he had adopted.

His recent posts also documented his declining health.

According to his posts, his most recent hospital visit came late last month after surgery to treat injuries from a fall.

“Back in Alfred Hospital last week for minor surgery on injury from my last fall,” he wrote on June 27.

“Nursing staff there are wonderful. Home again now. Sick (sorry for the pun) of going there.”

In 2006, Hinch rapidly lost weight which was later revealed to be due to a tumour on his liver. It would eventually be revealed to be inoperable liver cancer.

Despite those setbacks, Hinch remained active on social media, posting almost daily right up until his death.

Known as the “Human Headline”, Hinch spent more than five decades in Australian media, hosting radio and television programs in Melbourne and Sydney before entering politics.

He founded the Derryn Hinch Justice Party in 2015 and was elected to the Senate the following year, campaigning on victims’ rights and tougher laws for serious offenders.

Throughout his career, Hinch became as well-known for his fearless reporting as he did for controversy, particularly over his willingness to identify alleged child sex offenders despite court suppression orders — a stance that saw him jailed for contempt of court but cemented his reputation as one of Australia’s most outspoken broadcasters.