WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES

Adopted Man Discovers Dad is Triple Grammy-Winning Rock Star

A routine DNA submission led to the surprise of a lifetime.

An adopted man got the shock of a lifetime after discovering his biological father is five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Michael McDonald. A routine DNA submission to 23andMe sparked a notification matching Michael Goessling, 58, with a half-brother he never knew existed. That discovery led him straight to his birth mother, who connected him with his biological father over the phone. During the call, the father mentioned he was a musician preparing for a tour through the area. “I said, ‘Are you Michael McDonald?’” Goessling recalled. “And he said, ‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.’” Both birth parents were 14 years old when they conceived Michael, and later put him up for adoption. Decades later, the legendary Doobie Brothers frontman admitted he “always carried that guilt with me” over giving up his son, frequently worrying about how his child’s life turned out. Learning that his son enjoyed a wonderful childhood provided immense relief to the yacht rock vocalist. “The real rock stars in this story are his adoptive parents,” the singer said. The emotional reunion brought another surprise for the 74-year-old musician, who revealed he is “still wrapping my head” around learning he is also a grandfather to Goessling’s two children. The Doobie Brothers won three Grammys for their album Minute by Minute and hit “What a Fool Believes”.