Elwood Edwards, the voice of AOL’s ‘You’ve got mail,’ was paid just $200 for the iconic recording heard by millions
Elwood Edwards, who voiced America Online’s ever-present “You’ve got mail” greeting, has died. He was 74.
He died Tuesday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina, said his daughter Heather Edwards. The cause was complications from a stroke late last year, she said.
Edwards taped his AOL greeting in 1989 into a recorder while sitting in the living room of his home. “You’ve got mail” became a pop culture catchphrase in the late 1990s and served as the title of the 1998 Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan film.
“He would still blush anytime someone brought it up,” his daughter said. “He loved the attention, but he never got used it.”
He was also the voice of AOL’s “Welcome,” “Goodbye” and “File’s done” messages. He made $200 from the recordings.
He got the gig while working at an independent TV station in Washington, D.C. His second wife, Karen, was a customer service representative for the internet provider that later became known as AOL. She heard the company was looking for someone to be the voice of its software and suggested her husband.
“They were so impressed, they didn’t have him go in a recording booth,” his daughter said.
While few people knew his face, his voice was heard by millions of people each day.
“For a while, America Online was keeping it a secret, making me a man of mystery. But finally it was released, and there you go,” Edwards said in 1999.
He did appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in 2015 to repeat the famous catchphrase, smiling broadly and chuckling as the studio audience cheered. He also added his voice to an episode of “The Simpsons” in 2000.
Edwards first worked in radio and then moved into television. He had a brief stint as a weatherman and worked as an announcer, but mostly he spent his time behind the camera, Heather Edwards said.
“He would say, ‘I have a face for radio,’” she said, adding that her dad “always had a ready smile anytime you’d see him.”
He later worked at WKYC-TV in Cleveland as a “graphics guru, camera operator, and general jack-of-all-trades,” the station said. Edwards also did freelance voice-over work for radio and television commercials.
Survivors include another daughter, Sallie Edwards; granddaughter Abbie Edwards; and a brother, Bill.
The family plans to hold a memorial service Monday in New Bern.
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