Leonid Radvinsky, the owner of OnlyFans, has died of cancer at the age of 43, the company announced on Monday, March 23, 2026.
A spokesperson said, “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky. He passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer. His family have requested privacy at this difficult time.”
Radvinsky, a Ukrainian-American billionaire, had an estimated net worth of Ksh490 billion (around $3.8 billion) as of May 2025.
He acquired Fenix International Limited, the parent company of OnlyFans, in 2018 and served as its director and majority shareholder. Born in Odesa, Ukraine, he grew up in Chicago and studied economics at Northwestern University.
He began running online platforms in his teenage years, a journey that eventually led to the creation of OnlyFans.
In recent months, Radvinsky had been in talks to sell a 60% stake in OnlyFans in a deal that would have valued the company at about Ksh 1.03 trillion ($8 billion). The company confirmed that Radvinsky had moved his ownership into a trust in 2024.
Founded in 2016, OnlyFans allows content creators to earn money by posting subscription-based material. The platform typically takes a 20% cut of payments, leaving 80% for creators, resulting in significant earnings for Radvinsky.
The company grew especially popular during the pandemic and became a notable way for creators from various professions, including athletes and teachers, to earn extra income online.
Though OnlyFans has tried to diversify its content to include fitness, photography, and lifestyle topics, subscription content remains its primary draw. In 2021, the company briefly announced it would restrict some content before reversing its decision.
Radvinsky’s tenure was not without controversy, with investigations highlighting challenges faced by some creators using the platform.
Radvinsky’s death marks the end of an era for a company that has become a major online platform for independent creators. His influence reshaped digital content monetisation and demonstrated the potential of subscription-based platforms as income sources for creators worldwide.
