Today, renowned musician David Foster has a total of six children, but his first-born daughter wasn’t part of his life for many years.

He had given her up for adoption with the hope that they would reunite someday, which they did after three decades.

David Foster is a celebrated figure in Hollywood, having a successful career in both music and film.

Some of his most notable works in film include “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “The Secret of my Success,” and “The Bodyguard,” among others.

The 16-time Grammy Award winner’s personal life, however, has been far from glamorous. Foster has experienced everything from dramatic romantic relationships to struggles with fatherhood.

As a celebrity, his children were bound to be in the spotlight from a young age.

However, one of them never had the chance to experience this life, as Foster had given her up for adoption. Read on to learn about the child he once left behind.

A Look into Foster’s Four Failed Marriages

In his 2019 film “Off The Record,” Foster described himself as a “runner.”

Whenever he encountered difficulties in a relationship, he would often end it, always searching for the next best thing and leaving his problems behind.

It’s no wonder, then, that Foster has been married five times, with four of those marriages ending in divorce.

His first marriage was to BJ Cook from 1972 until June 26, 1981, and they had one child together.

Although not much is known about Cook, she was a talented music composer with several songs to her credit, including Bill Champlin’s “Single,” Tina Arena’s “Strong as Steel,” and Bigg Tyme’s “The Day After Hell Broke Loose.”

Following his divorce in 1981, Foster found love again with Rebecca Dyer. They married on October 27, 1982, and had three children together.

Little public information is available about Rebecca, but according to Rolling Stone, Foster left her and their three children — the youngest being only seven months old — to be with another woman in 1986.

Foster’s third wife was Linda Thompson, whom he married on June 27, 1991. The marriage ended in divorce on July 11, 2005.

However, trouble had already been brewing for some time before they decided to part ways. In his book “Hitman,” Foster shares that their marriage was in serious trouble by 2002.

Both were in denial about their issues and often pretended to have a perfect relationship.

While they didn’t have any biological children together, they were a blended family with Thompson’s sons, Brandon and Brody, from a previous marriage, and Foster’s daughters Sara, Erin, and Jordan from his other marriages.

Foster claims that he had to compete for Thompson’s attention, as her sons and seven dogs were always her top priority.

This, along with the non-existent relationship between Thompson and Foster’s three children, ultimately led to their divorce in July 2005.

The third time wasn’t the charm for Foster, but he was fortunate enough to find love again six years later.

He met his fourth wife, Yolanda Hadid, through her ex-husband. Despite falling in love shortly after meeting, they decided to take things slow.

The couple dated for four years before Foster proposed to Hadid on Christmas Eve in 2010. They appeared to be a happy couple for the first few years of their marriage.

However, their happiness was short-lived when Hadid was diagnosed with chronic neurological Lyme disease in 2012.

Balancing Foster’s busy schedule, Hadid’s commitment to “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” and her illness proved to be too much, and cracks in their marriage began to show.

In 2015, they announced their divorce, with fans speculating that Hadid’s illness was the cause of the split. In his documentary “David Foster: Off The Record,” Foster denies leaving her due to her sickness.

However, he refused to reveal the actual reason for their separation, stating, as reported by US Weekly:

“It was for a different reason, which I will never disclose, but it had nothing to do with her being sick.”

Challenges in Fatherhood

Foster has admitted to fleeing from his marriages, but it’s clear that his actions had a significant impact on his children.

Although they now have a close relationship, things were not always so positive. Let’s take a closer look at Foster’s children.

Foster had his first daughter, Amy, with his first wife, Cook, in 1973. He then had daughters Sara, Erin, and Jordan with his second wife, Rebecca.

Upon marrying his third wife, Thompson, Foster became a stepfather to her two sons.

However, the relationship with Thompson’s boys was rocky, and she never got along with Foster’s three daughters.

Growing up, Sara and Erin knew their father was often away from home working to provide for them, but they also resented him for raising other children who were not biologically his. Erin shared, as reported by People:

“We never lived with our dad after our parents broke up. So from the ages of 3 and 5, we lived with our mom, and our dad was living in this $20 million house with Brandon and Brody. It had the trolley. It had the pool.”

The First Child Foster Gave Up

While Foster’s private life has been a popular topic in many publications, there is still a lesser-known aspect of his past.

Before becoming a music icon and marrying his first wife, Foster had a relationship with a 20-year-old woman who gave birth to his daughter.

Unable to care for the child, the mother put her up for adoption. In 2000, Foster received a call from a woman claiming to be his long-lost daughter. He revealed:

“I don’t think I was shocked, to be honest. I think I had been expecting that phone call for thirty years. Every child wants to know his or her parents, so I always suspected it would only be a matter of time.”

The caller turned out to be Allison, the daughter he had given up for adoption more than 30 years earlier.

She lived in Edmonton, was married, and had two children. Both father and daughter were eager to learn about each other.

Allison discovered from a cousin that she was the daughter of a famous Canadian musician and began her search.

Upon seeing a photo of Foster, the resemblance was so striking that there was no doubt he was her father. She then tracked him down through his foundation.

As it turned out, Foster had a business engagement in Edmonton with hockey player Wayne Gretzky shortly after learning about Allison.

Knowing that she and her husband were huge hockey fans, Foster decided to give his daughter a special gift when they met.

They met at a hotel in Edmonton where Foster was staying, and after introductions, Foster said Allison had decades of stories to share.

He then called Gretzky, who was also staying at the same hotel, and asked him to come to his room.

A few minutes later, Gretzky appeared, and Allison’s head was spinning. She was meeting both her father and her hockey idol on the same day. Foster jokingly commented:

“I think she was actually a little more excited about meeting Wayne.”

Allison’s Life Today

Now, Allison and her family are an integral part of Foster’s life. As mentioned in his book, Allison still lives in Edmonton with her family and works as an executive for a computer company.

Holding an MBA from McMaster University, Allison has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies in sales, business development, and product management roles.

In addition, she serves as the Secretary to the Board, Director of Business and Stakeholder Relations for Foster’s foundation.