Melissa Etheridge has claimed the late David Crosby fathered a number of children as a sperm donor

She explained to People magazine: "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. So we weren't going to go to a sperm bank because she wanted them to know."

"To me, I didn't want someone who wanted to be a father... I didn't want all of a sudden my children to have...'Oh, there's dad.' And who am I? That sort of thing."

David's wife Jan Dance suggested him to Melissa, as they were keen to help other couples, and even now the singer is "still finding kids" who were fathered by the 'Wooden Ships' hitmaker, who died in January 2023 aged 81.

Melissa - who raised Bailey, 27, and the late Beckett with Julie, and went on to have 17-year-old twins Johnnie and Steven with former partner Tammy Lynn Michaels - explained: "They had just had help having their son and they appreciated that. 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.'

"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."

When Beckett passed away after battling addiction, David dismissed suggestions he hadn't been involved in his son's life.

Responding to one Twitter user who described him as a "donor who played no part" in raising Beckett, he replied: "Not true."

A fan then sent a message of condolence over Beckett's death.

They wrote: "While I know that you were a surrogate, I also know that you just lost a son. I'm sorry, I know you've had a rough year."

David replied: "Maybe it's a test."