Leonid Radvinsky, the billionaire owner of OnlyFans, the adult-content platform, has died from cancer, according to the company. He was 43.
Radvinsky transformed the pornography industry with OnlyFans’ subscription-based model after acquiring the company that owns and operates the platform in 2018. “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer,” a company spokesperson said in a statement on Monday, noting that his family has requested privacy.
Little is known about Radvinsky’s personal life and he seldom spoke publicly. OnlyFans allows creators to charge directly for their content. While it attracts some celebrities, athletes and other public figures as a way to interact with fans and monetise those interactions, it is largely known for its use by those making or seeking pornographic content.
The site’s rise in the porn industry coincided with the pandemic, when many sex workers joined OnlyFans as an alternative to in-person venues. The platform has proved tremendously lucrative for some, allowing them to earn thousands each month. The company has reported billions of dollars annually in gross revenue and hundreds of millions of users.
Earlier in his career, Radvinsky created a website called MyFreeCams, according to Reuters, which pioneered online payments for explicit content.
Born in Ukraine, Radvinsky grew up in Chicago and studied economics at Northwestern University, where he was valedictorian. He acquired Fenix International Limited, the company that owns and operates OnlyFans, in 2018 and served as its director and majority shareholder.
Radvinsky was also an angel investor in several companies and supported philanthropic projects globally. According to his personal website, organisations he donated to included the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, animal welfare group the West Suburban Humane Society, and the University of Chicago Medicine.
AP
