As a dedicated follower of the world of voices that have shaped our digital lives, I find it both humbling and heartbreaking to bid farewell to Elwood Edwards, the man behind the iconic “you’ve got mail” notification. His life story is a testament to the power of seizing opportunities and the unpredictable nature of fame.
America has said goodbye to one of its most memorable voices.
The well-known voice behind the iconic “you’ve got mail” message for AOL, Elwood Edwards, has passed away following a lengthy illness, as reported by NBC affiliate WKYC. Prior to his retirement in 2014, he was known as a versatile worker at the station. He was 74 years old.
Whenever someone would drop by at WKYC, he’d make introductions, and they’d immediately recognize him,” Frank Macek, the senior broadcast director at WKYC, shared with CNN. “For such a prolonged time, his voice was so connected to AOL that an instant celebrity status was bestowed upon him due to this link.
So, how did Edwards originally land the gig? He has his wife to thank for seizing an opportunity.
The story began when my wife Karen, who was employed at Quantum Computer Services, picked up on a conversation between CEO Steve Case about incorporating a voice into the soon-to-be-released AOL software in 1989. Seizing the opportunity, she offered my voice for the project. In our living room, equipped with a cassette deck, I recorded the phrases that have since become familiar to you.
Apart from the email reminder, he saved the phrases “welcome,” “files completed,” and “farewell,” and was paid a single sum of $200. Previously, he mentioned to CNBC that he had a favorable rapport with AOL; however, he also explained that he has never received any recurring payments from them.
Over the past 35 years, Edwards has been astounded by the success of his one-time job recording those iconic phrases. This unexpected popularity even landed him an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in 2015.
In a 2019 interview on the Silent Giants with Corey Cambridge podcast, Edwards expressed that no one could have anticipated how big AOL would become. He recalled standing in line at CompUSA, watching stacks of AOL CDs, knowing his voice was on each one, yet unbeknownst to everyone.
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2024-11-08 02:17