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Nicholas Brendon, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Actor, Dead at 54
The world of content creation has lost one of its most powerful figures.
Businessman Leonid Radvinsky, who owned the adult content site OnlyFans, has died following a private battle with cancer. He was 43.
"We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Leo Radvinsky,” an OnlyFans spokesperson said in a statement to to E! News. “Leo passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer.”
The statement continued, "His family have requested privacy at his difficult time."
The notoriously private Radvinsky was born in Ukraine and grew up in Chicago, with him remaining in the city to attend Northwestern University, where he graduated with a degree in economics. In 2018, the billionaire investor made his biggest career acquisition when he purchased OnlyFans’ parent company Fenix International Limited.
In the years since taking over OnlyFans as director and a majority shareholder, the website known for explicit adult pay-per-view and personal content has amassed over 300 million users across the globe.
Beyond his work with OnlyFans and Fenix International Limited, Radvinsky’s investment portfolio extended beyond the angel investor role and into philanthropic causes that were close to him. In a rare public appearance in 2024, Leonid attended the 2024 gala for a gastrointestinal research foundation gala, where, according to the Wall Street Journal, investing in a $23 million grant towards cancer research was discussed.
Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images
In the months leading up to Radvinsky’s death, rumors about OnlyFans’ future began circulating. In fact, Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported in January that OnlyFans—which includes Bonnie Blue, Teen Mom’s Janelle Evans and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’s Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird among its creators—was exploring selling the majority stake to investment firm Architect Capital in a deal that valued the adult content site at $5.5 billion.
OnlyFans—which took off during the Covid-19 pandemic—has proved lucrative for creators. In January, Piper Rockelle shared that she made $2.9 million within the first 24 hours of being on the subscription-based platform.
“My first day,” she captioned her Jan. 1 post on X, which featured a screenshot of the media personality’s paycheck. “Forever grateful.”
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