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OnlyFans owner Leonid Radvinsky dies of cancer at 43

OnlyFans experienced explosive growth, particularly during the pandemic, reaching over 300 million users.

Photo credit: Pool

Leonid Radvinsky, the secretive billionaire owner of OnlyFans who reshaped the porn industry with a subscription model, ​has died at 43 from cancer, the company said on ‌Monday.

The Ukrainian-American entrepreneur bought Fenix International, the parent company of OnlyFans, from the platform's British founder Tim Stokely in 2018. He served as a director ​on Fenix's board and was its majority shareholder.

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 $1 billion in annual revenue, powered by erotic performers ​and celebrity influencers.

"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 on Monday.

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 $4.7 billion (Sh610 billion), 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 $5.5 billion (Sh713 billion), including debt.

The platform exploded in popularity during the pandemic as millions of people stuck ​at home globally turned to the web, fuelling a ​surge ⁠in content and users. OnlyFans takes a 20 percent fee on most subscriptions and content sold on the platform.

Besides Fenix, Radvinsky also ran Leo, ⁠a venture ​capital fund he founded in 2009 ​that focuses primarily on investments in technology companies.

He was born in Ukraine and grew ​up in Chicago.

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