It is the tip of an period—on November 5, a day earlier than what would have been his seventy fifth birthday, Elwood Edwards of America On-line (AOL)’s “You have acquired mail!” fame died of sickness, as reported by his former place of employment, WKYC Studios on WTHR.
Whereas Elwood Edwards was finest recognized for his lineup of AOL quotes, specifically “You have acquired mail!”, “Information accomplished,” “Goodbye,” and “Welcome,” he was additionally energetic on the radio and in varied newsrooms up till his retirement, engaged on graphics, digicam operation, and extra. His pay for the unique AOL collaboration in 1989 was simply $200. Nonetheless, within the following many years, that voice function established him within the collective consciousness, resulting in subsequent cameos even in TV exhibits like The Simpsons.
After retiring from information work at Cleveland, Ohio’s WKYC information station, in 2016, Elwood Edwards appeared set to make a dwelling with occasional small enterprise alternatives fueled by his previous fame. This included promoting customized voice quotes on his web site (a mannequin now generally mirrored by different voice actors on providers like Cameo or Fiverr) and occasional industrial appearances or cameos. He was even noticed doing work as an Uber driver by a Twitter person in 2016.
His final two main on-screen appearances have been in March 2015 on The Tonight Present, starring Jimmy Fallon, and in October 2022, simply two years earlier than his demise, selling the e-commerce platform Shopify in a industrial. His Jimmy Fallon look was overtly humorous, involving an viewers member’s suggestion to have Edwards say various things in his iconic “You have acquired mail!” inflection. His animated Simpsons cameo again in 2000 had him taking part in a digital physician advising a affected person, “You have acquired leprosy,” nonetheless riffing on his legendary line.
Earlier than his demise, Elwood Edwards married twice and had two youngsters together with his first spouse, Betsy Fulcher. He didn’t have youngsters together with his second spouse, Karen Adams, they usually finally divorced. Regardless, Elwood Edwards’ voice and skills are well-known in his business. He’s sure to be missed by tech fanatics and fellow newsmen worldwide, particularly these lucky sufficient to have labored with him at WKYC, amongst different radio and information stations.
