A St. Louis man who was adopted as a baby nearly 60 years ago has discovered that five-time Grammy Award winner Michael McDonald is his biological father. Michael Goessling always knew he had been adopted and said he had a “wonderful childhood” with the couple who raised him. But he continued to wonder about his biological parents and where they were.The mystery began to unravel decades later after a half-brother Goessling did not know existed took a 23andMe DNA test. The test connected the two men and led to a message that changed Goessling’s understanding of his family. “Within 36 hours, he got an email notifying him, ‘Michael Gossling, half brother, St. Louis,’” Goessling said. “And that’s how this all began,” he told WSAW.The discovery eventually led Goessling to his birth mother. On his 58th birthday, he met her in person for the first time. He later spoke with his biological father over the phone. During that conversation, Goessling asked about his father’s work. He was told that his biological father was a musician who was preparing to tour through St. Louis that summer.That answer led Goessling to ask a question that would finally reveal the identity of his biological father. “And I said, ‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” Goessling said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.’” The musician was indeed McDonald, the singer-songwriter and member of the Doobie Brothers known for songs including “What a Fool Believes” and “I Keep Forgettin’.”
A long-standing family mystery
Goessling said he had always known he was adopted. He was raised by his adoptive parents, Paul and Kay, in St. Louis, and described his childhood as a happy one.“Always knew I was adopted,” Goessling said. “I had a wonderful childhood. I could not have handpicked two finer folks to raise me.”Even with that happy childhood, he remained curious about his biological family. That question stayed with him for decades before the 23andMe test taken by his previously unknown half-brother brought the first major breakthrough.The test identified Goessling as a half-brother and gave him a connection to a part of his biological family that he had never known. From there, he was able to meet his birth mother and later speak to his biological father.Goessling’s biological parents were both 14 years old when he was conceived, according to the information provided by KMOV. Although they did not raise him, McDonald and Goessling’s biological mother remained close friends over the years.There was also an unusual coincidence in the family discovery. Goessling and McDonald share the same first name, but that was not because Goessling was named after the musician. Goessling explained that he had been unnamed at birth and was given his name by his adoptive mother, Kay.
Goessling always knew he had been adopted and said he had a “wonderful childhood” with the couple who raised him
Michael McDonald talks about the years of uncertainty
For McDonald, finding out what had happened to his son after so many years brought a different set of emotions. He said he had spent decades wondering about him and carried guilt over not knowing how his life had turned out.“We always talked about him. And it always came down to our greatest fear was, how did life treat him?” McDonald said. “I always carried that guilt with me. But just to know that he was ok 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 also spoke about the role of Goessling’s adoptive parents in his life. He praised them for raising him and providing him with a happy childhood. “The real rock stars in this story are his adoptive parents,” McDonald said.Goessling and McDonald eventually met in person, turning the DNA discovery into a face-to-face family reunion.
Father and son meet for the first time
When Goessling and McDonald finally met, their first interaction was an embrace. Goessling recalled that McDonald opened his arms, gave him a “big old bear hug” and told him he loved him. “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.McDonald also described the meeting as an emotional moment after years of not knowing what had happened to his son. “It was a wonderful, wonderful experience to see Michael and get to meet my son after all these years thinking about him,” McDonald said.The reunion also brought another unexpected change for McDonald. Meeting Goessling meant discovering that he had grandchildren. “Yeah, that’s still sinking in for me. What a gift,” McDonald said with a laugh. “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.”