For decades those three words were heard billions of times over by anyone who received a message through AOL, a phrase that became synonymous with the dial-up era of the internet.
Elwood Edwards, the man behind the voice of AOL, passed away Tuesday at the age of 74 from complications of stroke, his daughter confirmed to the New York Times.
Edwards worked at WKYC news in Ohio for years as a “graphics guru, camera operator, and general jack-of-all-trades,” according to the station.
USA TODAY reached out to the station for more information.
In 1989, fewer than 50% of American adults had ever even used a modern computer. But that was the year that Edwards, who had done periodic commercial voiceover work since high school, got a small gig for a company that his wife worked at, Quantum Computer Services.
The company became American Online and later AOL. Edwards’ wife volunteered her husband’s services after overhearing future AOL CEO Steve Case talk about adding a voice to some upcoming software.
On a cassette tape in their living room, Edwards and his wife recorded four phrases − “Welcome,” “You’ve Got Mail,” “Files Done,” and “Goodbye” − in exchange for $200, according to WKYC.
Those seven words, though, soon became an integral part of a burgeoning America Online, earning Edwards’ voice a permanent spot in the annals of the internet.
Edwards continued working in television production in Ohio. His voice, of course, remained a minor celebrity in its own right throughout the years.
In 2000, according to IMDB, he lent his famous voice to an episode of “The Simpsons,” and in 2015 he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” as well as a 2022 Shopify add campaign.
Read more at usatoday.com.
Related Posts:
- Eastbound I-70 reopens between Edwards, Avon after crash News Eastbound Interstate 70 reopened between Edwards and Avon after a crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Colorado weather: Light snow in Denver, up to a foot along east I-70 corridor Crime and Public Safety | I-70 reopens after full closure near…
- Election 2024: New voting site at a transgender support center in West LA aims to be a space ‘where everyone’s voice matters’ News Among the more than 500 new voting sites that have opened to L.A. County residents during the 2024 general election is one center aiming to make history. The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center (CONOTEC) in West Hollywood is the first-ever presidential election voting site in the U.S. to operate in…
- ‘The Voice’ No Longer Has Goal of Finding ‘Future Pop Stars,’ Insider Reveals Entertainment <p id="par-1_67">NBC’s <em><a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/the-voice/">The Voice</a></em> Season 26 is in full swing, and fans adore watching the new set of coaches help the eager singers perform at their best. <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/gwen-stefani/?swcfpc=1">Gwen Stefani</a>, Reba McEntire, Snoop Dogg, and Michael Bublé are coaching this season. <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/gwen-stefani-said-scary-reba-mcentire-replaced-blake-shelton-the-voice-season-24.html/">Stefani and McEntire are the two returnees</a>.…
- Former California voice coach who fled overseas to avoid child molestation charges gets 24 years in prison News A former boys’ choir vocal coach who fled to England to avoid child molestation charges in 2007, setting off a years-long battle in British courts over his extradition back to the United States, agreed to a plea deal on Tuesday morning in Orange County Superior Court and was immediately sentenced…
- Former California voice coach who fled overseas to avoid child molestation charges gets 24 years in prison News A former boys’ choir vocal coach who fled to England to avoid child molestation charges in 2007, setting off a years-long battle in British courts over his extradition back to the United States, agreed to a plea deal on Tuesday morning in Orange County Superior Court and was immediately sentenced…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)