Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire owner of the OnlyFans platform, has died of cancer at the age of 43, the London-based company said on Monday.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a prolonged battle with cancer,” the company said in an emailed statement. “His family have requested privacy at this difficult time.”
Radvinsky acquired a controlling stake in the platform in 2018 and turned it into a prominent cultural phenomenon, reshaping the pornography industry by enabling creators to monetise their content directly. According to the company’s latest UK filing, he owned OnlyFans’ parent company—Fenix International Ltd.
His death raises questions about the future ownership of one of the most controversial user-generated platforms to emerge since Facebook. Founded in 2016 by British entrepreneurs Guy and Tim Stokely, the service gained prominence for hosting pornographic content banned on most social networks. Its popularity surged during the pandemic, when adult film actors and sex workers turned online in search of alternative sources of income.
Radvinsky had been in talks to sell a 60% stake in OnlyFans in a deal valuing the company at around $5.5 billion. San Francisco-based investment firm Architect Capital had considered leading a bid combining equity and roughly $2 billion in debt financing, according to a person familiar with the matter. As of February, the discussions were still at an early stage, the person said.
Despite efforts to broaden its appeal—including by attracting chefs and athletes—the platform remains primarily associated with adult content.
OnlyFans takes a 20% commission on most subscriptions and content sales. In 2024, the platform had more than 4.6 million creator accounts and around 377 million users, with revenue reaching $1.4 billion.
Since 2021, Radvinsky has paid himself roughly $1.8 billion in dividends.
He was born in Odesa but moved with his family to Chicago as a child. In recent years, he lived in Florida, according to information on his website. The company noted that, despite rarely giving interviews or public comments, he supported “a number of charitable initiatives around the world.”
According to his website, recipients of his donations included the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, open-source initiatives, and the West Suburban Humane Society.
In 2024, Radvinsky transferred his stake in the company into a trust, OnlyFans said.