Clay Aiken at opening night of the Broadway musical 'A Tale of Two Cities' at the Hirschfeld Theatre, New York City, USA - 18.09.08

The former American Idol star and new dad made the announcement in the latest edition (06Oct08) of People magazine, claiming he "cannot raise a child to lie or hide things".

And he has been inundated with words of support from fans.

Aiken updated his website on Wednesday (24Sep08) with a special message for well-wishing devotees. It reads, "Suffice to say, for the first time in recent memory, I am speechless. I'm so proud to know and love all of you.

"My family is so much larger than (his baby son) Parker, (Parker's mum) Jaymes, mom, (brother) Brett, etc. It extends to each of you. And I couldn't be more blessed."

Source: WENN