Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” greeting, has died. He was 74 years old.

The iconic figure died on Tuesday after suffering from a “prolonged illness,” according to a local news station. WKYC-TV, in Cleveland, Ohio, where he previously worked as a graphics and camera operator, among other duties.

The announcement stated that Edwards died one day before his 75th birthday. No other details regarding his death have been released.

ABC News has reached out to the station and family members for comment.

Edwards recorded the famous message for America Online, also known as AOL, in 1989.

One video In the post shared by AOL on YouTube, Edwards shared that he was offered the opportunity to become an anchor through his wife, who works at the company.

“It all started when my wife, Karen, who worked at Quantum Computer Services, heard Steve Case (former CEO of AOL) talking about adding a voice to the then-upcoming AOL software in 1989, and she volunteered my voice on a cassette player. “He gave it to me in my living room,” he explained at the time.

Edwards was also given the task of recording other lines such as “Welcome”, “Files complete” and “Goodbye”.

These emoticons quickly became a staple of the AOL experience for millions of people and influenced popular culture.

“You’ve Got Mail” even became the headline of a newspaper. Tom HanksRomantic comedy film also starring Meg Ryan.

“said”Internal Printing“He said that he was paid $200 for this work in 2016 and did not receive the remaining money.

Edwards explained. pension From WKYC-TV on April 4, 2014.

After his retirement, he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” where he entertained the audience by saying various phrases suggested by the audience.

While appearing in “Silent Giants with Corey CambridgeIn a 2019 podcast, Edwards touched on the unexpected impact of AOL voice work.

“I had no idea it would turn out this way; I don’t think anyone did,” he said at the time. “Suddenly AOL took off… I remember standing in line at CompUSA and seeing (a stack of AOL CDs) and thinking, ‘There’s my voice on every single one of them and no one has a clue.'”