OnlyFans Majority Owner Leonid Radvinsky Dies at 43 After Battle With Cancer

Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and majority owner of the adult content subscription platform OnlyFans, died at the age of 43 after a long battle with cancer, the company announced on Monday, March 23, 2026. An OnlyFans spokesperson confirmed the death in a statement sent to Variety magazine. „We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer. His family have requested privacy at this difficult time.” — OnlyFans spokesperson via Reuters Radvinsky was born in 1982 in Odesa, Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union, and emigrated with his family to Chicago as a child. He studied economics at Northwestern University, graduating in 2002. Despite accumulating a fortune that Forbes estimated at nearly four billion dollars, he maintained an exceptionally low public profile throughout his career, with the Wall Street Journal describing him in a 2025 profile as having mastered the art of staying invisible.

From Odesa to OnlyFans: a career built in the shadows Radvinsky began his entrepreneurial career in online business while still in high school, building websites and digital services linked to adult content. He founded the live webcam streaming platform MyFreeCams in 2004, which became one of the most prominent platforms in the online adult entertainment sector and established him as a significant figure in that industry. In 2009, he launched Leo, a venture capital fund focused on investments in technology companies. In 2018, after an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Penthouse, he purchased 100 percent of Fenix International Limited, the parent company of OnlyFans, from founder Tim Stokely. He served as the company's director and majority shareholder from that point until his death. His personal website described him simply as a company builder, angel investor, and aspiring helicopter pilot, with virtually no mention of the primary source of his wealth, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Platform grew to 305 million users under his ownership Under Radvinsky's leadership, OnlyFans transformed from a niche subscription service into a global phenomenon, with growth accelerating sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdown measures pushed creators and consumers toward digital platforms. The platform reached approximately 305 (million users) — OnlyFans registered users as of 2023 and paid out 6.6 (billion dollars) — creator payouts by OnlyFans in 2023, up 19% year-on-year to content creators in 2023, an increase of 1.2 billion dollars compared to the previous year. The company's net revenues rose to 1.3 billion dollars in 2023, with two thirds of that figure originating from the United States. Pre-tax profit climbed 25 percent that year, reaching 658 million dollars. The platform operates on a model in which creators retain 80 percent of user payments, with OnlyFans keeping a 20 percent commission. In 2025, OnlyFans distributed record dividends of 701 million dollars, according to the Financial Times. Radvinsky also sought to diversify the platform beyond adult content, launching OFTV in 2021, a free streaming service offering original content described as safe for work.

Net revenue: 1.3, Pre-tax profit: 0.658

Potential sale valued platform at up to 8 billion dollars In the months before his death, OnlyFans was at the center of significant financial discussions regarding a potential sale. Reuters reported in January 2026 that the company was considering selling a majority stake to investment firm Architect Capital in a transaction valuing the platform at approximately 5.5 billion dollars, including debt. Separate reports indicated that sale discussions had reached valuations of up to 8 billion dollars. Radvinsky was also known for his philanthropic activity, with donations directed toward organizations related to medical research, education, and community support, according to reporting by the Greek broadcaster Skai. He rarely gave interviews and consistently avoided media attention, a posture that made him, in the words of the Wall Street Journal, a relatively mysterious figure in the business world despite his enormous financial success. His family requested privacy and provided no details regarding funeral arrangements.

OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely. Radvinsky acquired the platform's parent company, Fenix International Limited, in 2018. The platform gained widespread mainstream attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions accelerated the shift of creators toward digital subscription income. Among the best-known creators on the platform are Cardi B, Bella Thorne, Iggy Azalea, and Mia Khalifa, according to reporting by HotNews.ro.

701 (million dollars) — Record dividends distributed by OnlyFans in 2025