Richard Branson Mourns the Loss of His Wife and Lifelong Partner, Joan Templeman

“She was my best friend, my anchor, my constant, my everything,” the billionaire businessman said of his partner of five decades.

Sir Richard Branson’s wife, Joan Templeman, has passed away at the age of 80.

The founder of Virgin Records shared the devastating news of Lady Joan’s death in a post on Instagram today.

“Heartbroken to say that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” he wrote beside an old photograph of her.

Branson, now 75, described her as the “most wonderful” mother and grandmother their family could have ever hoped for.

“She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world,” he added. “Love you forever, Joan x.”

He did not disclose her cause of death.

The couple married in 1989 and became parents to three children: Holly, 44, Sam, 40, and Clare, who tragically died four days after birth.

Branson fondly reflected on his relationship with Joan during a 2019 exclusive interview with Page Six.

“With my own wife, I was known as ‘Tagalong,’” he recalled, explaining that she had been dating someone else when they first met.

“I would literally be chasing. Eventually, hopefully, they give in.”

Joan didn’t pay him much attention at first, but Branson eventually won her over by persuading her to join him on a trip to see an island.

“I thought, ‘How can I convince her to get away with me for the weekend?’” he said. “So I rang up an estate agent … pretended I wanted to buy an island [in the Virgin Islands], and they said, ‘Come on down. We’ll send two tickets, arrange a helicopter, set up a house for you.’”

He then called Templeman back. “‘I’ve got a spare ticket—want to come down?’” She agreed, and together they visited the stunning island that would later become their permanent home.

During that trip, they flew over Necker Island in a helicopter—an island that ultimately became their family’s private retreat.

Branson remembered thinking, “Alright, she’s going to be the mother of my children. That’s where we’re going to live.”

He also recalled a moment when he was so consumed with love for Joan that he stopped a plane just to go back to her.

“We were in Majorca a few years ago, and I had to leave for some business thing. I left Joan at the airport,” he said. “As the plane was taxiing, I suddenly thought, ‘I’ve got to stop this plane and go back to her.’ So I got up, went to the front, and said, ‘I’m sorry, I need to get off this plane.’ And they stopped it. They let me off.”

The entire plane erupted into applause.

“I think she was pleasantly shocked,” he said with a smile. “Yeah, it was good.”

This story was originally published by Page Six and is reprinted here with permission.