Američki glumac Elvud Edvards preminuo je 5. novembra u 74. godini, samo dan pre nego što je trebalo da proslavi svoj 75. rođendan.
Tužnu vest potvrdio je njegov bivši poslodavac, VKIC-TV Studios iz Klivlenda. Edvards je umro nakon duge i teške bolesti.
Edvards je postao prepoznatljiv širom sveta zahvaljujući svom glasu, koji je 1989. godine snimio za početnu poruku America Online.
Njegove reči – “Dobro došli”, “Imate poštu”, “Imate slike”, “Imate govornu poštu”, “Datoteka je gotova” i “Zbogom” – postale su ikonične i ostale su u sećanju korisnicima interneta.
@deandocs Meet Elwood Edwards, the voice behind AOL’s legendary “Welcome”, “You’ve got mail”, “File’s done”, and “Goodbye”. Back in 1989, Edwards recorded these phrases on a cassette deck in his living room as a favor to his wife, who worked for the company that would become AOL. Little did he know, his voice would soon become an iconic part of internet history, reaching an astonishing 35 million people every single day at the height of AOL’s popularity. Edwards was initially paid 200 bucks for lending his voice to the program, and while he’s not a wealthy man because of it, he isn’t bitter one bit. Recently appearing in a commercial for Shopify. While Elwood Edwards may not be a household name, he’ll forever be instantly recognizable as the voice that defined the early internet by greeting millions of people every day. #internethistory#earlyinternet#media♬ original sound – Dean
Svoju poruku snimao je u svojoj dnevnoj sobi na kasetofonu i bio je plaćen svega 200 dolara za ovaj rad, ali njegov glas je zauvek ušao u istoriju digitalne komunikacije.