Leonid Radvinsky, who was the owner of subscription-based website OnlyFans, has died aged 43 after being diagnosed with cancer.
The Ukrainian-American entrepreneur is credited helping turn the controversial platform into cultural phenomenon and changing the face of the porn industry after the website got a huge boost during lockdown.
In a statement shared with the Financial Times, the company said: ‘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.’
He has owned the company since 2018 after buying a majority stake in Fenix International Ltd, OnlyFans’ owner, from its original founders.
He also ran Leo, a venture capital fund he founded in 2009 that focuses primarily on investments in technology companies.
Despite owning one of the most popular websites on the planet, he gave very few interviews, choosing to keep his personal life private.
He reportedly was born in Odesa, Ukraine, before moving to the United States when he was child, where he and his family settled in Chicago.
Leonid studied economics at Northwestern University, near Chicago, Illinois, and graduated in 2002.
In 2004, he launched MyFreeCams, an adult website where porn stars broadcast themselves stripping or performing sex acts in exchange for tips from viewers.
According to his website, he says: ‘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.’
OnlyFans, founded in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stokely, surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as lockdowns drove creators and consumers online, turning the subscription-based platform into a mainstream source of income and entertainment globally.
Leonid bought a 75% stake in the company in 2018, and became the sole owner in 2021 after Tim stepped down as the chief executive to ‘pursue new endeavours.’
At the time of his death, he was living in Florida and reportedly was married, although it’s not known who his spouse is.
This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
