‘American Idol’ finalist Danny Gokey and wife welcome a son

Danny Gokey is a proud new father, as he welcomed his first child with wife Leyicet on Sunday, Jan. 20.

People reports that the American Idol season eight finalist and his wife named their son Daniel Emanuel Gokey. The baby weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 oz and arrived at 9:52 p.m. EST.

The singer celebrated his baby’s arrival with this message on Twitter:

Its Official, I'm a daddy!!! :) title="http://celebritybabies.people.com/2013/01/21/american-idol-danny-gokey-welcomes-son-daniel-emanuel/">celebritybabies.people.com/2013/01/21/ame…

— Danny Gokey (@dannygokey) January 21, 2013

Gokey married his wife on Jan. 29 of last year in a small ceremony in Florida. He tragically lost his first wife Sophia in 2008 after a surgery for congenital heart disease. He now runs Sophia’s Heart Foundation, which helps families dealing with problems such as disease or poverty.

“Leyicet and I are overjoyed to welcome the new member of our family,” Gokey said. “I’m ecstatic to be a first time dad and to have a new little buddy to hang out with.”