Adopted Man Discovers Biological Father is Doobie Brothers Singer Michael McDonald

Michael Goessling, an adopted man from Missouri, recently discovered that his biological father is Michael McDonald, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer of The Doobie Brothers. The revelation came after Goessling and a previously unknown half-brother both submitted DNA to 23andMe.

Goessling, who was placed for adoption as an infant because his biological parents were only 14 years old at the time, was raised by adoptive parents Paul and Kay Goessling in St. Louis. He stated he had a "wonderful childhood" but always maintained curiosity about his biological roots.

His search for his biological family gained momentum when he was notified of a match with a half-brother through DNA testing. "Within 36 hours, [my half-brother] got an email notifying him: Michael Goessling, half-brother, St. Louis," Goessling told First Alert 4. "And that’s how this all began."

Goessling later met his birth mother on his 58th birthday and subsequently connected with his biological father by phone. During their conversation, McDonald, who was preparing for a tour through St. Louis, identified himself as a musician. Goessling then asked, "Are you Michael McDonald?" to which McDonald replied, "Yeah, I’m afraid so."

McDonald, 74, expressed that he had "always carried that guilt" of not knowing what had become of his son after he and Goessling's birth mother, both teenagers at the time, gave him up for adoption. He noted that he and Goessling's birth mother had always spoken about him, fearing how life had treated their son.

"But just to know that he was okay and that he had a good life, and a life certainly that I wouldn’t have been able to afford him at that time, was a great reward," McDonald said. "The real rock stars in this story are his adoptive parents."

It was a coincidence that both father and son share the first name Michael. Goessling has two children, making McDonald a grandfather. McDonald, who has been married to singer Amy Holland since 1983 and has two adult children with her, also expressed pride in Goessling's wife and children, calling them "two of the greatest kids you’d ever meet."