Key Takeaways
- Michael McDonald reunited with Michael Goessling, the son he and Goessling’s biological mother placed for adoption after conceiving him when they were both 14.
- A 23andMe match connected Goessling with his half-brother, leading him to meet his birth mother on his 58th birthday and later share an emotional first meeting with McDonald.
- McDonald said he felt relieved to learn Goessling had a good life, praised his adoptive parents as "the real rock stars," and discovered he has two grandchildren.
Michael McDonald has just been reunited with a son he put up for adoption over 50 years ago after conceiving him at just 14 years old.
Michael Goessling, who was placed for adoption as a baby, confirmed that his biological father is the five-time Grammy winner and Doobie Brothers lead vocalist, according to First Alert 4.
McDonald and Goessling's biological mother were both 14 when he was conceived, and he was raised by Paul and Kay Goessling in St. Louis. "Always knew I was adopted. Had a wonderful childhood. I could not pick two finer folks to raise me," Goessling said of his adoptive parents.
The predication led him to come in contact with his half-brother, one of McDonald's children, who had taken a 23andMe DNA test. "Within 36 hours, he got an email notifying him: Michael Goessling, half-brother, St. Louis. And that's how this all began," Goessling said.
Goessling met his birth mother in person on his 58th birthday, followed by a phone call with the "What a Fool Believes" musician before the men finally met each other. "When he first saw me, he put his arms out, gave me a big old bear hug and told me he loved me, and I told him the same," Goessling said.
The five-time Grammy winner also learned that he's a grandfather to Goessling’s two children.
"We always talked about him. And it always came down to our greatest fear was, how did life treat him? I always carried that guilt with me," McDonald told First Alert. "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. The real rock stars in this story are his adoptive parents."
McDonald, known for songs including "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" and "Sweet Freedom," released his last album, Wide Open, in 2017.
