Adopted Missouri man astonished to find his biological father is international rock star

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A Missouri man who was adopted at birth has recently discovered that his biological father is a five-time Grammy Award winner.

Michael Goessling knew he was adopted but had wondered about his biological parents for years. It wasn’t until a half-brother he didn’t know existed took a 23andMe DNA test that Goessling began to piece together his family tree.

To celebrate his 58th birthday, Goessling met his birth mother in person for the first time. He then connected with his biological father, a musician, over the phone and was intriguied to learn he’d be touring through St. Louis.

“And I said, ‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” Goessling recalled to local CBS affiliate KMOV. “And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.’”

McDonald is the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Doobie Brothers band member behind hits like “What a Fool Believes” and “I Keep Forgettin’.”

McDonald and Goessling’s mother have remained friends throughout the years. They were about 14 years old when they got pregnant.

He told KMOV: “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. 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 added.

McDonald and Goessling — who share the same first name by pure coincidence — met in person for the first time shortly after connecting.

“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 told KMOV.

Goessling is a married father of two — which has made McDonald a grandfather.

“Yeah, I’m still wrapping my head around that,” McDonald told the outlet with a laugh, but said his grandchildren are “two of the greatest kids you’d ever meet.”

McDonald joined The Doobie Brothers in 1975 as a temporary replacement, but went on to become a lead vocalist and keyboardist. He left the group in 1982 and pursued a solo career. Prior to that, he was a backing vocalist for Steely Dan from 1973 to 1980. He explored his career and journey to sobriety in a 2024 memoir entitled What a Fool Believes.

Along with Doobie Brothers bandmates Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, McDonald was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2025. The trio and several other contributing band members are currently touring together across the U.S.