OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky dies aged 43

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Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire owner of the content subscription giant OnlyFans, has died at the age of 43 following a long battle with cancer.

The company confirmed on Monday that the Ukrainian-American entrepreneur passed away peacefully, requesting privacy for his family.

Radvinsky, who was worth an estimated $7.8bn (£5.8bn) at the time of his death, was the driving force behind turning OnlyFans into a global technology powerhouse.

While the site was originally founded in 2016 by Essex businessman Tim Stokely, Radvinsky acquired a controlling stake in 2018 through his company, Fenix International.  Under his leadership, the platform shifted its focus toward adult content creators, experiencing a massive surge in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year alone, OnlyFans processed a record $7.2bn in subscriber payments, with the company retaining a 20% commission. Despite recent efforts to diversify the platform by attracting musicians, chefs, and athletes, including high-profile users such as Cardi B and Lily Allen, the site remains primarily known for its adult content.

Future ownership in question

Radvinsky’s death raises immediate questions regarding the future of the platform. Before his death, reports suggested he was in talks to sell a 60% stake in the business to investment firm Architect Capital, a deal that would have valued OnlyFans at approximately $5.5bn.

Born in Odesa in 1982, Radvinsky moved to the United States as a child and became a prolific internet entrepreneur while still a teenager. Beyond his business interests, he was a notable philanthropist, donating significantly to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and charities researching “butterfly skin” (Epidermolysis Bullosa).

The billionaire’s shares in Fenix International have reportedly been held in a trust since 2024, providing some structural continuity for a company that generated $684m in profit in 2024 and remains one of the UK’s most significant tech taxpayers.

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