We’ve lost a voice most of us recognize but few of us knew his name.
Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL’s “You've Got Mail,” passed away on Tuesday at 74 after a stroke.
For decades those three words and his voice became synonymous with the dial-up era of the internet and heard billions of times by anyone with an AOL account.
Edwards’ day job was a graphics guru, camera operator and jack-of-all-trades at WKYC news in Ohio for years. He did occasional voiceovers and in 1989, his wife volunteered his services at the company where she worked, Quantum Computer Services, when she heard future CEO Steve Case talking about adding a voice to upcoming software.
With her help, he recorded four phrases on a cassette tape in their living room… “Welcome,” “Files Done,” “You’ve Got Mail,” and “Goodbye.” And the rest, as they say, is history. Goodbye sir and thank you!