This week, after GQ’s August profile of Joseph Gordon-Levitt hit newsstands, the actor took to his Tumblr page to challenge the accuracy of the magazine’s description of the death of his older brother, Dan, on October 4, 2010.
Because the writer, Amy Wallace, and her editors understood the pain Dan’s passing caused the Gordon-Levitt family, the story sought to be respectful—and brief—in the way it described his death, which GQ felt was a relevant fact in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s biography. The story stated that Dan, 36, who was close to his brother and often collaborated with him, "died of an alleged drug overdose in 2010. ’It was an accident’ is all Joe will say about that.’ "
The magazine stands by its reporting, the facts of which are fully supported—and have been confirmed in detail—by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.