Melissa Etheridge's daughter found new siblings from late biological dad David Crosby
More than a year after David Crosby's death, Melissa Etheridge is reflecting on the "generosity" he showed in helping her start a family in the 1990s.
In an interview with People magazine published Tuesday, the "Come To My Window" singer, 63, opened up about why the late rock icon was the "perfect" choice for her and then-partner Julie Cypher, who share 27-year-old daughter Bailey Jean Cypheridge. Their son, Beckett Cypher, died in 2020 at age 21 of an opioid overdose.
"The situation was special with my partner at the time because she had been adopted and she wanted her children to know who their biological father was," Etheridge told People. "So we weren't going to go to a sperm bank because she wanted them to know."
She revealed that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's wife, Jan Crosby, was the one to suggest he become a sperm donor for the couple.
"They had just had help having their son and they appreciated that. They wanted to pay it forward," Etheridge said. "We're still finding kids from David Crosby out in the world. My daughter's like, 'I have another half-sister.'"
Etheridge has two other children, 17-year-old twins Johnnie Rose and Miller Steven, with ex Tammy Lynn Michaels.
Among Crosby's children are son Django, whom he shared with wife Jan, and a son he had with ex-girlfriend Celia Crawford Ferguson. James Raymond, a musician, was adopted as a newborn but reconnected with his biological father in the '90s; the two went on to make music together as the jazz-rock band CPR.
Melissa Etheridge 'didn't want someone who wanted to be a father'
Another reason Crosby was an ideal sperm donor was because, Etheridge said, "I didn't want someone who wanted to be a father."
"I didn't want all of a sudden my children to (say): 'Oh, there's dad.' And who am I? That sort of thing," she explained.
Etheridge added, "He did not need to be [a father]. 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, so he's the biological father, but they didn't need a relationship with him."
David Crosby mourned: Melissa Etheridge, Brian Wilson, more celebs pay tribute
Upon Crosby's death at age 81 in 2023, Baily Cypheridge wrote, "Rest easy Croz. Thank you for the tunes, the dimples, and the love."
Etheridge posted at the time that Crosby "gave me the gift of family. I will forever be grateful to him, Django, and Jan."
Etheridge, a two-time Grammy winner and best original song Oscar winner for "I Need to Wake Up," is featured in the upcoming two-part Paramount+ documentary "Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken," which premieres July 9.
The debut is timed to the release of her upcoming album, "I'm Not Broken (Live From Topeka Correctional Facility)."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melissa Etheridge's daughter discovered new siblings from David Crosby
