In 1971, Audie Murphy, an American combat soldier and actor, passed away with a net worth of $300 thousand.
Born in Kingston, Texas in June 1925, Audie Murphy died in the middle of May 1971.
He held a position in the U.S.
The military combat award for valor was bestowed upon the army by France and Belgium, in addition to other recognitions.
At the age of 19, he was presented with the Medal of Honor for defending a large group of German soldiers he had encountered for an hour and leading a successful counterattack while being wounded and running out of ammunition.
Murphy’s childhood was defined by his father’s absence and his mother’s passing during his adolescence.
After leaving school, he started working as a cotton picker.
Murphy’s older sister aided him in fabricating documentation to join the military after the Pearl Harbor attack.
Despite being rejected by both the Navy and the Marine Corps, he went on to star in several films, including the autobiographical To Hell and Back, as an actor.
Tom “Whispering” Smith was the character played by Murphy in the TV show Whispering Smith in 1961.
In 1960, he was granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.
Murphy’s PTSD and financial struggles were significant in his later years.
Allegedly, he gambled on horses and spent significant amounts of money on his own horses.
The IRS owed him unpaid taxes after he lost $268,000 in an oil deal that expired in 1968.
Despite his financial struggles, Audie refused to participate in commercials for alcohol or cigarettes, fearing the impact of these advertisements on children.
At the age of 45, Audie Murphy died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971.