'Burning Dan,' Brother of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dies

By Maggie Coughlan Posted Oct 6th 2010 10:02AM

Dan Gordon-Levitt, better known as "Burning Dan" and the proud brother of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, died early Monday at age 36.

Joseph announced his brother's passing on Twitter on Tuesday evening, "My super hero brother @burningdan 1974-2010. Celebrate his life here ~ http://bit.ly/dBTMQ8 because he's f*cking awesome."

The cause of death is unknown at this time, however officials from the L.A. County Coroner's office told RadarOnline.com that drugs are suspected to have played a role. Coroner's spokesperson Ed Winter said Gordon-Levitt was pronounced dead on Oct. 4 at 3:58 a.m. in Hollywood. Two friends were with him at the time.

"Burning Dan" taught flow arts, which he described as, "a combination of performance art and dance and meditation and yoga and sort of self-transformation, to give you a fun way of doing something that's really good for you and helps you be an even smoother, more awesome person than you already were," in a recent interview with PopEater.

Dan started a school in Los Angeles to share his passion of flow arts."It's one of the things I love about the flow arts community around the world -- is how giving, generous and sharing everybody is," he said of his profession.

The two brothers shared a close relationship, conceptualizing hitRECORD.org, an online community of artists and filmmakers, together and eventually seeing it evolve into a popular destination for creatives.

"BURNING dAN brightly embodied that bold beastly bliss sometimes referred to as "the creative spirit." He was my chief collaborator on the foundational incarnations of hitRECord.org over the years and continues to inspire us ever the more. He would absolutely positively insist that we not let this bad news deter us on our collective mission. That said, I might not feel up to it for a little while," Gordon-Levitt wrote of his brother on hitRECord.org on Tuesday.

As Joseph's older brother, Dan beamed over the actor's success saying, "It's wonderful to be mistaken for him. He taught me to question the relationships other people have with their siblings because he would be my favorite person in the world even if I wasn't lucky enough to know him as my brother. He's just awesome in every way that I pay attention to. I ask myself 'do I love him because he's my brother or is he really that awesome?' He's really, really awesome."

Send Your Condolences to JGL on Facebook

Comments

(32)

Wednesday 06 October

By dbrockskk

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not sure but wasn't one of them the kid from Third Rock From The Sun??

By AmaliaSavoie

My Sincerest Condolences to the family. May you rest in peace Dan

By jorgebrito2

Gone so very young. Joseph and his family and friends must be going through a rough time now. I can imagine how devastated they are now. Sorry to hear that. RIP.

By georgie

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Sad news :( Thoughts are with the family. MeLu, you are a jerk! Sad that you had to be the first to post on this sight.

By Nico Toscani

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I was speaking to MeLu you dolts.

By Jackie

This is sad because just last Friday night Joseph gave a great performance at the Yoko Ono concert here in L.A.. He did a cool vaudville version of one of Yoko's songs with two "ANGELS".

By Aunty K

I've been a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt for years, and am so saddened by this news. I know what it is to lose loved ones, and my prayers are with the family.

By JAX

I had to look up to see who Joseph Gordon-Levitt is and then I knew him immediately. I love his acting and am so sorry for his loss. The video on here is bizarre, but it looks as if Dan is having the time of his life whirling around with fire. I still feel whatever floats your boat is the way to live, but do it legally. My condolences to you Joseph.

By Jay

I have heard of and seen JGL in film and t.v. work, he is an awsome actor for sure.I never heard of his brother, but I am sure they had a special bond and he must have been a very artistic guy as well? however I find the fact his brother is celebrating his life given the way he choose to waste it unsettling? I too had a very talanted and wonderful little brother who died just a few years ago do to drug abuse and demons that he somehow could not shake off,as mega-talented as he was with guitar and writing music, I would find it hard to "celebrate" the fact my wonderful brother threw his life and gifts in the trash can with pill addiction the way he did! all his siblings did everything humanly possible to save him but the drugs were just too strong! all we could do was wait and watch in horror. I feel sorry for any families this happens to. but I refuse to celebrate something so awful!

Thursday 07 October

By Stevie

So sad. My heart goes out to his family.

Monday 11 October

By John Stone

Did not know Dan, but from links seen tonight, its clear he was a gift to the arts, like his brother. It is a great loss at such a young age for us all, and I feel especially sad for Joseph - its tough to lose a brother. I was just watching "The Lookout" tonight when I saw the news on the internet. Joseph, your performance in it is amazing - you are truly one of the finest actors of this era. You nailed the impression that you had diminished mental capability as a result of the accident. A remarkable performance - I think one of your best. Congratulations on your brilliant career. My condolences on the loss of your talented brother.

Wednesday 20 October

By Bri

286 people "like" this on facebook. they should really change that...

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