Singer Kirk Franklin, after more than five decades, has learned who his biological father is, a man who only lives a short drive from him.

Parents are a necessary and vital part of a child's life. God intends for parents to serve as an example for their children. They are to establish structure and instill discipline and order in a child's life. Parents are to protect, care for, and love their children. If any of those are missing from a child's life, it can lead to a traumatic childhood and a dysfunctional life.

Singer Kirk Franklin knows what it means to grow up without parental love, care, and support. As a child and a young man, he experienced the hurt and heartache that often accompanies such situations, according to People.

However, in a new documentary, "Father's Day: A Kirk Franklin Story," posted on YouTube, Kirk finally learns the identity of his biological father.

Kirk met the man confirmed, through DNA testing, as his biological father on May 26, 2023.

The camera catches the moment Kirk meets his father, Rick Hubbard. Kirk nervously knocks on the man's door, who answers and invites the singer inside.

The two sit down and have a conversation about the past. It's an emotional meeting that leads to tears, apologies, and a heartfelt and long-overdue hug.

"This man lives down the street from my recording studio," Kirk said. "He lives in the same city that I work in. His house is adjacent to a house that my youngest son would go play in when he was in high school."

Following the meeting, Kirk states how close he was to knowing and having a father as a child.

"He didn't even know," Kirk says. "He didn't even know he had a son, and I didn't even know I had a father. That close, I was that close. I was that close to having a daddy."

In the video, Kirk explains that it all began at a funeral. At the funeral, several people started saying that one man, who dated Kirk's biological mother when they were teenagers, might be his dad.

The rumor, which Kirk points out, quickly got around town. This caused the man who was the subject of the rumor to take a DNA test on his own accord. The camera catches the moment the doctor informs him. She says there is a 99.9 percent probability that this man is his father.

He is overwhelmed with emotion, believing that he has been lied to by his biological mother about his father's identity.

"Love is a muscle that has to be trained," Kirk said. "And if it's never been trained, just because you get introduced to it, doesn't [mean you] know how to receive it."