David Foster Became a Dad Again at 71: After He 'Never Saw' Older Kids He Now Spends Time with Youngest Son
-
David Foster is happy to be a father to his sixth child at age 71.
-
Despite the 34-year age difference with his wife, they are happy together.
Multi-Grammy Award winner David Foster worked tirelessly to provide for his family, which resulted in him being absent most of the time. Although he was rarely there for his older children, he now has a chance to rectify that with his youngest child.
In February 2021, People reported that Canadian musician David Foster had become a father again at age 71 with his wife, Kathrine McPhee.
Musician David Foster and actress Katharine McPhee attend the Clive Davis 90th Birthday Celebration at Casa Cipriani on April 6, 2022 in New York City ┃Source: Getty Images
"Katharine McPhee and David Foster have welcomed a healthy baby boy. Mom, Dad, and son are all doing wonderfully," a rep revealed to the outlet at the time.
Insiders first confirmed McPhee's pregnancy in October 2020, and during that period, she and her husband were spotted in Montecito, California shopping for baby stuff. While this is Foster's sixth child, it is the first child for McPhee, whom he married in June 2019.
In October 2022, Foster openly talked about welcoming his youngest child Rennie in his seventies during an interview with People, saying he never thought that such would happen, especially at his age.
"I haven't regretted a single day of it," said the record producer, adding that he has cherished the experience daily. Foster noted that he had kids when he was younger and was a workaholic and hardly "saw them." The doting dad stated although that has not changed, he now knows how to prioritize his son:
"I was working a lot. Even though I'm working a lot now, I'll cancel anything just to hang with him. It's just different."
The proud dad shared his son is delightful and that he and his mother, McPhee, are having a blast despite their hectic schedules. Foster said he and the mother of his child would love not to travel frequently, but they do allow their son to tag along with them on work trips.
The Hollywood couple revealed their bundle of joy already shows an interest in music as he has been exposed to the piano and electronic drum pad. Seeing that they are both music professionals, Foster said that they believe their son would follow in their footsteps, but he cannot say for sure:
"We think [he'll be musical], but we don't know."
Foster explained that children often show interest in something only to change their minds later and do something else.
He admitted that he would rather have Rennie "have a tennis racket in his hand than a drumstick" while noting that if he chooses to pursue a musical career, he would fully support him.
Besides the youngest member of the family, Foster also has daughters; Allison, Amy, Erin, Jordan, and Sara, from previous relationships. Although he had little time with them growing up, he wants to do things differently with their younger sibling.
Who Are Foster's Older Children?
Foster has been married five times, and apart from his brood, he also has seven grandchildren. The music exec's first child is Allison, whom he welcomed in 1970 at age 20.
Per The Sun, Foster placed his daughter up for adoption, but the father and daughter duo reunited when she was 30. Allison is now a director and secretary to the board of The David Foster Foundation.
Foster welcomed his second daughter Amy in 1973 with his first wife, singer B.J. Cook. Like her parents, Amy is also a songwriter and an author.
The 16-time Grammy Award winner's third child is Sara, whom he shares with his second wife, Rebecca Dyer. The pair welcomed their daughter in 1981. Sara is an actress and is best known for playing Jen Clark on "90210."
Dyer and Foster share another daughter, Erin, who arrived in 1982, the same year they wed. Erin is a writer and a performer. Jordan is the former couple's youngest daughter, born in 1986, and she is a celebrity wardrobe stylist.
Foster and Dyer divorced in 1986 after four years of marriage. He walked down the aisle again when he wed songwriter Linda Thompson in 1991 and became a stepfather to her sons, Brody and Brandon Jenner. However, the pair divorced in 2005.
(L-R) TV personality Brody Jenner, musician Brandon Jenner, actress Linda Thompson and record producer David Foster pose at the Brandon and Leah album release party for "Cronies" on April 8, 2013 in Los Angeles, California ┃Source: Getty Images
Reflecting on that period of their marriage, Foster's daughters, Sara and Erin, got candid about their relationship with their dad, which became strenuous once he and their mom divorced.
The siblings appeared on the "Sibling Rivalry" podcast in December 2019 and vented about how their father raised his stepsons better than he did them. Sara said her dad raised the Jenner brothers instead of them:
"Our dad was raising other children. He wasn't raising us. He was raising Brandon and Brody."
She expressed that reality bothered her so much that she barely slept at night. Erin chimed in and explained she and her sibling "never lived with our dad" following their parents' separation:
"So, from the ages of 3 and 5, we were living with our mom, and our dad was living in this $20 million house with Brandon and Brody."
She added that their father lived a luxurious lifestyle with his other family. Meanwhile, people had the wrong perception of her and her sister. They thought they were spoilt because they were "rich" too. Erin said they would have to explain that their lives were far different from their dad's.
Sara stated that what they did know growing up was that they had a "safety net," sharing, "Our dad always said to us, 'You'll never be homeless, and you'll never be hungry.'"
Be that as it may, she revealed their dad did not set up a "trust fund" for them, and they had to work like everyone else.
Foster's Wife Is 34 Years His Junior
Foster is now in his fifth marriage to McPhee, who is 34 years younger than him. The couple met in 2006 during the actress' stint on "American Idol," and they became friends.
As they are now husband and wife with a young son, Foster noted that people usually talk about their age difference. However, the composer said that many factors can affect how a marriage ends and that an age gap "is just one of them."
Foster acknowledged that "many things" could ruin their union but believes that he and McPhee "have it pretty together." In May 2019, the mother of one told People that she and her then-fiance are on cloud nine and are "proud of each other."
Having pursued a romantic relationship after being friends for years, the "Over It" singer admitted that "it's a different thing when you're a team for sure."