Elwood EdwardsThe voice of America Online’s ever-present “You’ve got mail” greeting has died. He was 74 years old.

He died Tuesday at his home in New Bern, North Carolina, his daughter, Heather Edwards, said. The cause, he said, was complications from a stroke late last year.

Edwards recorded the AOL greeting on a tape recorder while sitting in the living room of his home in 1989. “You’ve got mail” has become a slogan of popular culture It served as the title holder throughout the late 1990s and into 1998. Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan’s movie.

“She still blushed whenever anyone brought it up,” her daughter said. “He loved the attention, but he never got used to it.”

It was also the voice of AOL’s “Welcome”, “Goodbye” and “File complete” messages. He earned $200 from the recordings.

He got the job while working at an independent TV station in Washington, DC. His second wife, Karen, was a customer service representative for the internet provider that later became AOL. She heard that the company was looking for someone to be the voice of its software and suggested her husband.

“They were so impressed they didn’t let him into the recording booth,” his daughter said.

While his face was recognized by very few people, his voice was heard by millions of people every day.

“For a while, America Online kept it a secret, making me a man of mystery. But it finally got published and here we go,” Edwards said in 1999.

In 2015, he appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to repeat the famous catchphrase, smiling widely and giggling as the studio audience cheered. He also added his voice to an episode of The Simpsons in 2000.

Edwards first worked in radio, then moved to television. Heather Edwards said she briefly served as a weatherman and worked as an anchor, but mostly spent her time behind the scenes.

“He would say, ‘I have a face fit for radio,’” she said, adding that her father “always had a ready smile whenever you saw him.”

worked later WKYC-TV in Cleveland “aspectgraphics guru, camera operator and 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 in New Bern on Monday.