Joan Templeman, the wife of British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, has died at the age of 80.
Branson announced her death on Tuesday in a post on social media, saying he was “heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away.”
“She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for. She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.”
Branson is the founder of the Virgin Atlantic airline, space tourism company Virgin Galactic and satellite launcher Virgin Orbit.
The couple had three children, Holly, Sam and Sarah Clare. Sarah Clare died shortly after birth in 1979. They were married in 1989.
In a 2020 blog post, Branson said he met Templeman in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in Oxfordshire, England. “Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics,” Branson wrote.
He said she worked at an antique shop that sold old signs and advertisements.
“I hovered uncertainly outside the shop, then built up the courage to walk in ... Over the next few weeks, my visits to Joan amassed me an impressive collection of old hand painted tin signs, which advertised anything from Hovis bread to Woodbine cigarettes,” Branson wrote.
In a separate piece, Branson wrote that his wife was a “very private person” who had “always stood by me mentally, emotionally and spiritually”.
Sam Branson described his mother as “the kindest, most loving, warm and abundantly generous woman to walk this Earth.
“I am so deeply grateful to have had the privilege of being your son and being able to call you mum,” he added.
With the Associated Press and PA Media
