OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky dies aged 43

OnlyFans said Leonid Radvinsky had 'passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer'. Photo / Leo Radvinsky

The billionaire owner of OnlyFans has died at the age of 43 after a battle with cancer.

Leonid Radvinsky, a Ukrainian internet entrepreneur, bought the pornography business in 2018 and grew it into one of the world’s most-visited websites.

“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,” an OnlyFans spokesman said.

Radvinsky, who lived in Florida, was worth an estimated US$7.8 billion ($13.3b) at the time of his death.

OnlyFans was founded by British businessman Tim Stokely but Radvinsky transformed it into a significant tech force.

The adult-only website, which allows amateur porn stars to upload their own videos and interact with fans, received a record US$7.2b from subscribers last year, with the site keeping a 20% slice of payments to its stars.

Its popularity surged during the Covid pandemic as adult performers cashed in on customers stuck at home during lockdown.

Future ownership

Radvinsky’s death will raise fresh questions over the future ownership of the site. Radvinsky had been in talks to sell a 60% stake in the site to investment firm Architect Capital, according to Bloomberg, which would have valued it at around US$5.5b.

OnlyFans was controlled by Radvinsky via internet business Fenix International. It is understood that Radvinsky’s shares in the business have been held by a trust since 2024.

The company made a US$684 million profit in 2024, and paid US$167m in corporation taxes in the UK, where it is incorporated.

Radvinsky, who was born in Odesa before moving to the US, took home a US$701m dividend payout that year.

OnlyFans was founded in 2016 by Stokeley, who set up the website with financial backing from his father, Guy Stokeley.

Radvinsky snapped up a controlling stake from the Stokeley family two years later and reorientated the site towards adult content creators.

More recently, it attempted a move into mainstream by attracting athletes, musicians and chefs to create videos. However, most of its content remains taboo.

Celebrities including Cardi B and Iggy Azalea have joined the site. In 2024, British singer Lily Allen signed up to the service to sell pictures of her feet.

‘Ahead of the curve’

Last year, it emerged that Radvinsky was attempting to sell OnlyFans, with Fenix in talks to dispose of a 60% stake.

Fenix International makes no mention of the stunning success of OnlyFans on its website, describing the business only as a “multifaceted technology company with a focus on staying ahead of the curve”.

A personal website for Radvinsky also describes a childhood love of programming, chess and aspiration to become a helicopter pilot.

Radvinsky was also a major donor to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre and a charity focused on the study of Epidermolysis Bullosa – or “butterfly skin” – a serious genetic condition in infants.

Born in 1982, Radvinsky moved to Chicago as a child before studying at Northwestern University.

While still a teenager, he set up an internet referral business. He later founded adult site MyFreeCams in about 2004.

Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.