Adopted at Birth, Michael Goessling Found His Father: Michael McDonald

A 58-year-old adopted man from St. Louis has met his biological father — and the father is Michael McDonald, the voice behind the Doobie Brothers' biggest hits.

Michael Goessling told KCTV 5 how the discovery unfolded. He was adopted as an infant by Paul and Kay Goessling. "Always knew I was adopted," Goessling said. "Had a wonderful childhood. I could not pick two finer folks to raise me."

Still, he wondered about his biological parents, who were both 14 when he was put up for adoption. The breakthrough came when a half-brother he did not know existed took a 23andMe DNA test. "Within 36 hours, he got an email notifying him: Michael Goessling, half-brother, St. Louis," Goessling recalled. "And that's how this all began."

On his 58th birthday, Goessling met his birth mother in person. He later spoke with his biological father by phone. Goessling asked what the man did for a living, and his father said he was a musician who would soon pass through St. Louis on tour that summer.

"And I said, 'Are you Michael McDonald?'" Goessling said. "And he said, 'Yeah, I'm afraid so.'"

It was indeed that Michael McDonald — the singer of "What a Fool Believes," "This Is It" and "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)," among many other hits. The shared first name, Goessling noted, was not an intentional choice by his adoptive parents.

Goessling's biological mother and father have remained close and spoke about their son over the years. "We always talked about him. And it always came down to our greatest fear was, how did life treat him?" McDonald told the St. Louis outlet. "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."

When the two men finally met in person, the moment was immediate and warm. "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 reunion also brought news that reshaped McDonald's family picture: he is a grandfather. "Yeah, I'm still wrapping my head around that," McDonald told the station. "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."

The story stands as one of the most striking examples of how consumer DNA testing continues to reunite families separated decades ago — in this case, connecting an ordinary St. Louis life to one of the most distinctive voices in American pop music.