After Earp died in 1929, a flattering, largely fictionalized biography was published in 1931. It became a bestseller, and made his reputation as a fearless lawman. Since then, Wyatt Earp has been the subject of and model for numerous films, TV shows, biographies, and works of fiction that have increased his mystique. Earp's modern-day reputation is that of the Old West's "toughest and deadliest gunman of his day". Wyatt Earp has become synonymous with the image of the Western lawman, and is a symbol of American frontier justice.