As an actor he starred in several films including the autobiographical To Hell and Back. Murphy starred as Tom “Whispering” Smith on the television series Whispering Smith in 1961. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street in 1960. Murphy struggled with PTSD and had financial problems later in life. He reportedly spent vast sums of money gambling on horses and investing in his own horses. After losing $268,000 in a 1968 oil deal that went bad, he found himself owing unpaid taxes to the IRS. Despite his financial problems, Audie refused to appear in commercials for alcohol or cigarettes because he was worried about the affect these ads would have on children. Audie Murphy passed away on May 28, 1971 at 45 years old in a plane crash.