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.'
Branson described her as '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.' The couple had three children: Holly, Sam, and Clare Sarah, who died shortly after birth in 1979. They married in 1989.
Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, met Templeman in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in Oxfordshire. He recalled in a 2020 blog post that she was a 'down-to-earth Scottish lady' who worked at an antique shop. He built up courage to walk in and over subsequent weeks amassed a collection of old tin signs from her.
In a separate piece, Branson wrote that 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.'
