Leonid Radvinsky, the owner of adult‑content platform OnlyFans, has died of cancer at the age of 43, the company said in a statement on Monday.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer,” an OnlyFans spokesperson said. “His family have requested privacy at this difficult time.”
Radvinsky, a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur, acquired Fenix International Limited, the parent company of OnlyFans, in 2018 and served as its director and majority shareholder.
The elusive businessman and computer programmer, who rarely gave public interviews, was also the founder of the adult cam site, MyFreeCams
He also ran Leo, a venture capital fund he founded in 2009 that focuses primarily on investments in technology companies.
OnlyFans, founded in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely, surged in popularity during the Covid pandemic as lockdowns drove creators and consumers online, turning the subscription-based platform into a mainstream source of income and entertainment globally.
Radvinsky was the majority shareholder and director of the adult streaming platform up until his death, with OnlyFans being credited with revolutionising the sex industry.
Under his ownership, OnlyFans turned from a platform that once avoided explicit content into an adults-only phenomenon with more than 300 million users and over $1bn in annual revenue, powered by erotic performers and celebrity influencers.
The firm behind OnlyFans has paid out eye-watering dividends to Mr Radvinsky since he acquired the company, with a record $701m (£522m) paid out in 2024 as the streaming site saw user numbers jump by almost a quarter to 377.5 million globally.
The company is headquartered and pays tax in the UK, but makes the majority of its money in the US.
Radvinsky’s death leaves questions about who will own the platform. His Fenix shares have been held in the LR Fenix Trust since 2024 and he had a net worth of about $4.7bn, according to the Forbes real-time billionaires list.
Reuters reported in January that OnlyFans was exploring the sale of a majority stake to investment firm Architect Capital in a deal valuing the company at about $5.5bn, including debt.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Radvinsky moved with his family to the United States when he was a child and they settled in Chicago.
The businessman studied economics at Northwestern University, near Chicago, Illinois, and graduated in 2002.
Prior to becoming the sole shareholder of OnlyFans’ parent company, Fenix, he founded an adult website referral business called Cybertania.
