Melissa Etheridge Says Her Sperm Donor David Crosby Is The Biological Father To Countless Children

The late musician David Crosby’s impact on the world extended far beyond his iconic musical career, according to his friend and collaborator Melissa Etheridge, Crosby has helped many couples welcome children into their lives as a sperm donor.

Etheridge revealed that Crosby’s widow, Jan Dance, suggested he be Etheridge’s donor when she and her former partner, Julie Cypher, wanted to have children. “They had just had help having their son, and they appreciated that,” Etheridge told People. “They wanted to pay it forward. We’re still finding kids from David Crosby out in the world. My daughter’s like, ‘I have another half-sister.'”

Crosby is the biological father of Etheridge’s daughter, Bailey, and her late son, Beckett, who passed away in 2020 from causes related to opioid addiction. Etheridge shared that Cypher, who had been adopted, wanted her children to know their biological father, which led them to choose Crosby as the donor rather than going to a sperm bank.

“I didn’t want someone who wanted to be a father,” Etheridge explained, describing Crosby as the “perfect” donor. “And that’s what really made it clear for me, was that he was willing to say, ‘Yeah, I was the biological father.’ And my kids call him bio dad, but they didn’t need a relationship with him.”

Etheridge, who is also the mother of twins Johnnie Rose and Steven Miller with her ex-partner Tammy Lynn Michaels, expressed her profound gratitude for Crosby’s generosity. She wrote in a social media tribute after his death in January 2023 at 81, “I will forever be grateful to him. His music and legacy will inspire many generations to come.”