The owner of OnlyFans, Leonid Radvinsky, has died at the age of 43.
Born in Ukraine, he grew up in Chicago, US, and bought the parent company, Fenix International, from its two UK-based founders back in 2018.
Thanks to the site’s rise in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, Radvinksy became a billionaire within three years.
Under the ‘reclusive’ man’s ownership, the site turned from a platform that once avoided explicit content to a phenomenon known for its adult content.
Radvinsky essentially helped to reshape the porn industry with a subscription model thanks to OnlyFans.
It was founded back in 2016 as a social media platform that allows creators to post videos and photos, charging subscribers for tips or a monthly fee.
According to its most recent Companies House filing, the company has over 370 million users and over $1 billion in annual revenue.
Radvinsky served as a director on Fenix’s board and was its majority shareholder. He also ran Leo, a venture capital fund he founded back in 2009, with a main focus on investments in technology companies.
A spokesperson for OnlyFans said earlier today (23 March): “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.”
While he was on Forbes’ billionaires list and owns one of the most popular sites in the world right now, there is very little known about Ravinsky, described as ‘reclusive’.
He said on his website: “I work with talented teams of entrepreneurs and engineers all over the world who are building the next generation of Internet applications and services.
“I have spent the last two decades building software companies and contributing to the open-source movement.”
The secretive billionaire studied economics at Illinois’ Northwestern University, where he graduated in 2002. He went on to launch MyFreecams in 2004.
Perhaps a sign of what was to come, this was an adult site where porn stars streamed as they stripped or performed sex acts in exchange for tips.
According to his site, Radvinsky most recently lived in Florida, and it’s reported he was married, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $4.7 billion (£3.5bn).
Also noted on his website, the billionaire made a number of donations to several charities, such as the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, an animal welfare charity and EB Research Partnership.
Topics: OnlyFans, Business, Social Media, Technology
Jess Battison