Melissa Etheridge Says Sperm Donor David Crosby Taught Her About 'Generosity': 'We're Still Finding Kids… Out In The World'

Melissa Etheridge is forever grateful for the gift of life late boyfriend David Crosby gave her and ex Julie Cypher when he agreed to be the couple's sperm donor in the 1990s. In an interview with People for the promotion of new documentaries Melissa Etheridge: I'm not broken — which premieres on Paramount+ on July 9 — Etheridge, 63, says that in addition to being the biological father of her daughter Bailey and her late son Beckett, Crosby “really taught me generosity.”

“The situation was special with my partner at the time because she was adopted and wanted her children to know who their biological father was,” Etheridge says of Cypher. “So we weren't going to go to a sperm bank because he wanted them to know.” That led them to Crosby, who died in 2023 at age 81 and seemed up to the task without getting stuck.

“For me, I didn't want someone who wanted to be a father,” the singer said of Crosby, who is also father to sons James and Django and daughters Erika and Donovan. “I didn't want my kids to suddenly have … 'Oh, there's dad.' And who am I? Something like that.” Bailey is now 27, and Beckett died of an opioid overdose in 2020 at age 21.

In fact, it was Crosby's wife, Jan Dance, who suggested he help the couple, and according to Etheridge, they weren't the only ones to be subjected to his generosity.

“They had just helped to have their son and they appreciated that. They wanted to pay for it,” Etheridge said. “We still find David Crosby kids out in the world. My daughter says “I have another half sister”. The key, she said, was that Crosby was happy to donate sperm but didn't need to be a hands-on father to Etheridge's children, which is why the relationship worked.

“That's what really made it clear to me, was that he was willing to say, 'Yes, I was the biological father,'” Etheridge said of Crosby. “And my kids call him biological father, so he's the biological father, but they didn't need a relationship with him.”

When Byrds founder Crosby, Stills & Nash died, Etheridge paid a loving tribute to the rocker. “I am sorry for the loss of my friend [and] Beckett and Bailey's biological father David,” she wrote at the time. “He gave me the gift of family. I will be forever grateful to him, [son] Django and [wife] Jan. His music and legacy will inspire many generations to come. A true treasure.”