The "invisible billionaire" who turned male erotica and gay sex into a legitimate business. The owner of OnlyFans has died

Leonid Radvinsky, a reclusive billionaire and owner of the adult content platform OnlyFans, died on March 23, 2026, of cancer. He was 43 years old. "We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Leo Radvinsky. Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer.", — a company spokesperson said. "His family asks that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.".

He has never given an interview. He rarely appeared in public. His name didn’t appear on billboards or come up in tech podcasts. But it was this very man—a native of Odessa who moved to Chicago as a child—who created one of the most influential media platforms of the 2020s, which changed not only the online porn market, but also how the queer community makes money, talks about TV, and shapes its own visibility.

From Odessa to Chicago, from Chicago to billionaire status

Radvinsky was born on May 30, 1982, in Odessa to a Jewish family. His family emigrated to Chicago when he was a child. In 2002, he graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. _Wikipedia

In 1999, when Radvinsky was just 17 years old, he helped incorporate Cybertania Inc.—a business that provided referral links for websites. It was his first attempt to monetize the Internet. It was far from his last.

Before OnlyFans, Radvinsky founded the webcam site MyFreeCams in 2004. It was a low-key but profitable business at the intersection of technology and the sex industry—exactly the kind of niche where he felt right at home.

In 2018, he purchased a 75% stake in Fenix International Ltd., the parent company of OnlyFans, from its British founders, Tim Stockley and his father, Guy Stockley. Following this acquisition, the platform took a sharp turn — toward adult content and the reputation it is known for around the world today.

The Pandemic as a Catalyst

Under his leadership, OnlyFans has transformed from a platform that once shied away from explicit content into an adult phenomenon with more than 300 million users and over a billion dollars in annual revenue, driven by erotic performers and celebrity influencers. _Yahoo!

OnlyFans, founded in 2016 by British entrepreneur Tim Stockley, saw a sharp rise in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns drove creators and consumers online, transforming the subscription-based platform into a global source of income and entertainment.

According to Bloomberg, users spent a record $7.2 billion on the platform in 2024, and Radvinsky paid himself $1.8 billion in dividends from 2021 to 2025. _LBC

At the time of his death, Forbes estimated his net worth at $4.7 billion. _Newsweek

The Queer Revolution: Gay Men, Bisexuals, and MSM as the Core of the OnlyFans Economy

This is the part of the story that the business press hardly ever mentions. From the very beginning, OnlyFans has been a tool—and a safe haven—for queer people, primarily gay and bisexual men and so-called MSM (men who have sex with men).

Approximately 70% of the male creators on the platform are men — primarily from the LGBT+ community. _GitNux Около 40% мужчин-создателей идентифицируют себя как бисексуальные или геи, обслуживая мужскую пользовательскую базу платформы. _GitNux

For queer men, especially those living in countries with conservative attitudes toward sexuality, OnlyFans has opened up something fundamentally new: the opportunity to make money from their own bodies without a studio, without middlemen, and—importantly—without having to “come out” publicly in real life.

Harsh (name changed), a young performer from India who identifies as gay, described the experience as follows: “OnlyFans has been a huge help. I’ve made some real friends, and even though the community seems a bit unstable, there’s a lot of emotional support here. OnlyFans provides a space to enjoy your own body—and that’s very respectful, especially in other countries.”. _Gaysi

A platform for those who haven't been hired by studios

For many performers of color, gay porn on OnlyFans isn’t constrained by the normative expectations of studio production and focuses on sex positivity—a long-awaited change that allows creators to talk to their audience about safe sex, self-pleasure, and anatomy.

One of the best-known examples is Boomer Banks, a Mexican-American gay performer who is openly living with HIV. According to him, DIY platforms like OnlyFans are better for openly HIV-positive performers than studios: a studio once told him that they could only film him with another HIV-positive performer, and both had to use condoms. OnlyFans has removed these restrictions.

“I’m a brown-skinned, HIV-positive, openly queer man, and all these studios hired me. If you want something, you go get it. It’s all about your drive.”, — says Banks. _TheBody

Health Platform: PrEP via OnlyFans

In an unexpected way, OnlyFans has become part of the public health infrastructure for gay and bisexual men.

MSM continue to be the group most affected by HIV and AIDS in the United States. ScienceDirect In response, researchers and public health organizations began using the platform as a channel to promote PrEP—a medication that prevents infection HIV.

The results of the qualitative analysis showed that it would be advisable to promote injectable PrEP through well-known male content creators and OnlyFans stars. _{ScienceDirect}

Mistr, a company that provides free online PrEP, has launched a campaign featuring adult performers on OnlyFans. "Since our service provides free PrEP online, partnering with people on OnlyFans and other adult content platforms was a completely natural decision.", — explained Tristan Shukraft, the company's CEO. _{HIVPlusMag.com}

Porn stars and queer influencers use their platforms to educate their followers—on everything from proper hygiene practices to HIV awareness and how to get on PrEP. _{The Oxford Student}

The Banning Scandal: When the Platform Betrayed Its Own

In August 2021, OnlyFans announced a ban on explicit content effective October 1. The reaction was immediate and strong—especially from the queer community.

Jack Makenroth—an actor and gay porn performer who created an OnlyFans account almost as soon as the site was founded in 2016—said that sex workers made OnlyFans what it is today, and now the platform won’t stand up for them. "It seems like they're just fair-weather friends, and I don't need those.", — he said. _{NBC News}

"Every cent this company has earned revolves around porn, whether they want to admit it or not.", — said content creator Skylar Shark. _{BuzzFeed News}

A few days later, OnlyFans announced that it was lifting the ban following sharp criticism from creators and advocates for sex workers' rights. But trust had been undermined.

The Incognito Philanthropist

Behind the scenes of his business, Radvinsky led a life about which the public knew almost nothing.

In 2022, he donated $5 million to aid Ukraine and also made contributions to a cancer foundation, an animal welfare organization, and a skin disease research foundation. In 2024, Radvinsky and his wife became public advocates for a $23 million cancer research grant program. He did not hide his illness—but he did not flaunt it either.

In addition to Fenix, he also headed the Leo venture capital fund, founded in 2009, which invests primarily in technology companies.

What's next for the platform?

Radvinsky's death leaves open the question of who will own the platform. His shares in Fenix have been held in the LR Fenix trust since 2024. _Yahoo! In January 2026, Reuters reported that OnlyFans was exploring the possibility of selling a controlling stake to the investment firm Architect Capital as part of a deal that would value the company at approximately $5.5 billion. _Newsweek

It remains to be seen what will happen to the platform under its new owner. The queer community has already experienced a similar period of uncertainty in 2021. Back then, they managed to stand their ground. Whether they’ll be able to do so again remains to be seen.

Leonid Radvinsky.
May 30, 1982 — March 20, 2026.

Sources: Bloomberg, Reuters, NBC News, Newsweek, Variety, Gizmodo, Wikipedia; research articles in ScienceDirect and the *Archives of Sexual Behavior*; reports from NBC Out, The Body, Pink News, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.