Daughter asks Warner Bros. to keep father’s ashes in prop house

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A woman has asked Warner Bros. if they would keep her father’s ashes at their prop storage facility permanently.

After their father, Doug DuRose, passed away on April 29, 2026, at the age of 62 after a ten-year struggle with liver disease, Rachel DuRose contacted the studio on behalf of herself and her sister.

For almost 40 years, Doug worked as a prop master and buyer for films and TV shows like Blue Velvet, Meet the Fockers, and Field of Dreams, finishing his career on the show The Middle. He lived near Warner Bros. Studios and spent most of his career working on the studio lot and at the Warner Bros. Prop House.

What she actually wrote to Warner Bros.

Rachel began her letter by admitting her request was unusual, writing, “Hi, I’m Rachel DuRose, and I’m about to ask you for something really strange – probably the strangest thing you’ll ever hear.”

She explained that the family struggled with what to do with his ashes, but kept coming back to the same idea. Everyone who knew him agreed on one thing: he truly loved his work and was unhappy when he wasn’t doing it.

Hello Warner Bros., my sister and I are hoping you can help our dad fulfill his wish to return to his favorite place one last time. We would be so grateful for any assistance.

— Rachel DuRose (@durosettastone) May 1, 2026

Rachel inquired whether the studio would permit a securely sealed urn to remain on display in the prop house indefinitely. She understood that California law regarding the rental of human remains for film and television is unclear, and therefore the urn wouldn’t be used in any scenes as a functional prop.

“I think the prop house would actually be the only place he’d be truly at peace,” she wrote.

She ended by reassuring everyone there wasn’t a ghost, pointing out that Doug was too focused on himself to bother haunting anyone else.

People have found creative ways to honor loved ones after they pass away before. For example, last year a GeoGuessr expert helped a family fulfill a grandmother’s final wish by scattering her ashes in the same desert location where her husband’s ashes were scattered years ago. The family had forgotten the exact spot, making the task difficult.

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2026-05-02 18:48