Melissa Etheridge Says David Crosby Helped Many Couples as Sperm Donor: ‘We’re Still Finding Kids' (Exclusive)

Crosby, who died in January 2023, was the legal sperm donor for two of Etheridge's kids — Bailey and Beckett

Melissa Etheridge is opening up about her decision to use her late friend David Crosby as a sperm donor.

Speaking with PEOPLE for this week's issue about her new docuseries Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken, premiering July 9 on Paramount+, the singer-songwriter, 63, says that her experience with the guitarist — who is the biological father of her daughter Bailey and late son Beckett — "really taught me about generosity."

"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 says of her ex Julie Cypher. "So we weren't going to go to a sperm bank because she wanted them to know."

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"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," the proud mom explains.

The Grammy-winning singer says Crosby was "perfect," noting that his wife Jan Dance suggested him to Etheridge.

"They had just had help having their son and they appreciated that. They wanted to pay it forward," she says. "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."

In addition to Bailey, 27, and Beckett, who died of an opioid overdose in 2020, Crosby is also dad to sons James and Django, as well as daughters Erika and Donovan.

Etheridge shares Bailey and Beckett with Cypher and is also mom to twins Johnnie Rose and Steven Miller, 17, with ex Tammy Lynn Michaels.

When Crosby died in January 2023, Etheridge mourned her loss, saying that he'd given her "the gift of family."

"I am grieving the loss of my friend, and Bailey's and Beckett's biological father, David," Etheridge wrote on Instagram at the time.

"He gave me the gift of family. I will forever be grateful to him, [son] Django, and [wife] Jan. His music and legacy will inspire many generations to come. A true treasure."

For more on Melissa Etheridge, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

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