Man discovers Michael McDonald is his biological dad after 60 years
Imagine finding out at nearly sixty years old that your biological father is famous—let alone a five-time Grammy winner.
That's exactly what happened to St. Louis resident Michael Goessling, who recently discovered that his biological father is none other than musician Michael McDonald 60 years after he was placed for adoption as a baby.
In a report by local news outlet KMOV, Goessling said that he "always knew" that he was adopted by his parents Paul and Kay. Nevertheless, he was still thankful to them for giving him a happy childhood.
"I had a wonderful childhood. I could not have handpicked two finer folks to raise me," he said.
Yet part of him remained curious about his origins. Fate provided an answer years later when a half-brother he never knew existed took a 23andMe DNA test.
Within just 36 hours, Goessling received an email notifying him that he had a half-brother living in St. Louis.
The unexpected match prompted him to connect with his birth mother in person on his 58th birthday. He later had a chance to reach out to his father through the phone, where he quickly learned of his identity.
"I said, 'So, tell me about yourself. What do you do?' And so he said, 'Well, I'm a musician.' And he went on to tell me that, 'In fact, looks like we'll be touring this summer and we'll be stopping into St. Louis," Goessling recounted.
"And then I finally said, 'Are you Michael McDonald?' And he said, 'Yeah, I'm afraid so.'" he added.
Despite sharing the same first name, Goessling said that this was just a wild coincidence, as it was his adopted mom who named him.
The news outlet detailed that McDonald was only 14 when he conceived Goessling with his unnamed birth mother, who was also the same age as him at the time.
During a FaceTime call, McDonald admitted that he carried a sense of guilt about the situation for years.
"I always carried that guilt with me. 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 in my life, was a great reward," he said.
"The real rock stars in this story for us are his adoptive parents, who really gave Michael everything a child needs in terms of love and security," he continued.
Goessling meanwhile had no ill feelings towards McDonald for what happened, saying "I really appreciate you giving me a shot in this world, and you've always been heroes in my story."
The two of them eventually met in person and shared a warm reunion.
"He just put his arms out, just gave me a big old bear hug and told me he loved me, and I told him the same," Goessling said.
"It was a wonderful, wonderful experience to see Michael and get to meet my son after all these years thinking about him," McDonald added.
What's even more remarkable was that McDonald now has two new grandchildren from McDonald's family.
“That’s still sinking in for me. What a gift. My daughter-in-law is just the daughter-in-law you’d hope for as a parent. And the kids are two of the greatest kids you’d ever meet. I’m just so proud of them," the singer said.
McDonald first made a name for himself as a session musician and backing vocalist before joining Steely Dan and later becoming a member of the Doobie Brothers in 1975. He contributed hits including What a Fool Believes and Minute by Minute.
His work has earned him five Grammy wins. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2025.