A Missouri man got the surprise of his life when he learned that his biological father is a music legend.
Videos by Suggest
Michael Goessling of St. Louis was placed for adoption as an infant because his biological parents were only 14 years old. He was adopted by Paul and Kay Goessling.
“Always knew I was adopted,” he told First Alert 4. “Had a wonderful childhood. I could not pick two finer folks to raise me.”
But of course, Goessling still wondered about his biological parents. And he started getting answers after his unknown half-brother took a 23andMe test.
“Within 36 hours, he got an email notifying him: Michael Goessling, half-brother, St. Louis,” Goessling shared. “And that’s how this all began.”
He got to meet his biological mother in person on his 56th birthday. Later, he was able to connect with his biological father over the phone. Goessling asked his father what he did for a living, and he said he was a musician. In fact, he told Goessling he would be coming to St. Louis on tour that summer.
“And I said, ‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” Goessling said. “And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.’”
Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy award winning singer and member of the rock group the Doobie Brothers. His hits include “What a Fool Believes” and “I Keep Forgettin.’”
But the fact that they share a name is purely coincidental.
According to McDonald, he and Goessling’s biological mother have remained close friends over the years. He shared the weight of not knowing what happened to their son with First Alert 4.
“We always talked about him. And it always came down to our greatest fear was, how did life treat him?” he said. “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.”
Eventually the father and son did get to meet in person.
“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.
Another surprise for McDonald since meeting his son? He’s now a grandfather.
“Yeah, I’m still wrapping my head around that,” McDonald said. He later added, “My daughter-in-law is just the daughter-in-law you’d hope for. And the kids are two of the greatest kids you’d ever meet. I’m just so proud of them.”