Adopted man stunned to discover rock icon Michael McDonald is his biological father
A man who was put up for adoption as an infant received the shock of his life when he found out his biological father was The Doobie Brothers star, Michael McDonald.
Michael Goessling, from St. Louis was conceived when his biological parents were just 14 years old, and has always been aware that he was adopted.
He told KMOV St. Louis that he 'had a wonderful childhood' but always wondered who his birth parents were.
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It wasn't until his 58th birthday that he met his birth mother, after a half brother he was unaware of took a DNA test on the site 23andMe.
He then spoke to his birth father, McDonald, 74, on the phone, completely unaware of who he was at first.
"He told me he was a musician, and went on to tell me that he'd be touring in St. Louis this summer.
"Then I finally said, 'Are you Michael McDonald,'" Michael laughed.
Although many may have believed the rock icon named his son after him, Michael revealed that he was actually unnamed, so it was a complete coincidence.
Speaking to KMOV, McDonald said he 'always carried guilt with him.'
"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," the star added.
McDonald rose to mainstream fame in 1975 when he joined The Doobie Brothers as a lead singer/keyboardist. They produced smash hits including 'Takin' It to the Streets' and 'What a Fool Believes.'
At the time of joining the band, McDonald was 23 years old. His biological son would have been around nine years old at the time.
Micheal told his dad that he 'really appreciated him,' while McDonald gave all the praise to his son's adopted parents, Paul and Kay for giving Michael 'everything a child needs.'
The pair have since met in person, where they embraced and told each other they loved one another.
McDonald has two children with his wife, singer Amy Holland.
The couple tied the knot in 1983, later welcoming their two children, Scarlett, 34, and Dylan, 37.
McDonald and Holland met in 1980, when he became her producer on her album, 'On Your Every Word.'
In 1986, Holland was diagnosed with breast cancer, and was later given the all clear.
“I was just trying to be there for her,” McDonald told PEOPLE ahead of the release of his memoir in 2024.
“But I sure learned to admire her and her struggle and how she put us first, even at the darkest times in that struggle. That says a lot about her.”
When the rockstar met his biological son, he discovered he also had grandchildren he didn't know about.
"That's still sinking in to me," he told KMOV St. Louis.
"What a gift."
Kiesha Dosanjh