AceShowbiz -

GQ replied to its cover boy Joseph Gordon-Levitt's protest about its article mentioning that his brother "died of an alleged drug overdose in 2010." While the magazine "understood the pain Dan's passing caused the Gordon-Levitt family," it refused to change the description of how his brother died.

"The Dark Knight Rises" star believed its writer Amy Wallace wrote the article based on "a handful of gossip websites," but the magazine defended her. "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," it explained.

"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.'," it continued before concluding. "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."

Dan passed away on October 4, 2010 and it was initially reported as "a possible overdose." In his death certificate released by the L.A. County Department of Coroner, it's revealed that he died accidentally of "ketamine intoxication." Ketamine has a similar effect to such recreational drugs as PCP.