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 social media post, saying he was “heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away.”
He described her as “the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for,” adding: “She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.” The couple had three children: Holly, Sam and Clare Sarah, who died shortly after birth in 1979. They married in 1989.
In a 2020 blog post, Branson recalled meeting Templeman in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in Oxfordshire. He wrote: “Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics.” She worked at an antique shop selling old signs and advertisements, and he built up the courage to visit her there. “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.”
In another piece, Branson said his wife was a “very private person” who had “always stood by me mentally, emotionally and spiritually.” Their son Sam described her as “the kindest, most loving, warm and abundantly generous woman to walk this Earth,” adding: “I am so deeply grateful to have had the privilege of being your son and being able to call you mum.”
