26.11.2025
British born billionaire and Virgin Atlantic Air boss Richard Branson has been devastated by the loss of his wife Joan Templeman who died at 80 on Tuesday November 25.
“She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world,” Branson wrote on social media
“Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” Branson wrote on Instagram. “She was the most wonderful mom and grandmom our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for.”
He added: “She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.”
Two days prior, the businessman posted a throwback photo of the couple with the caption, “Love this photo of Joan.”
The couple wed in 1989 and went on to welcome three children together: Holly, 44, Sam, 40 and Clare Sarah, who died at 4 days old after being born three months premature.
“I often make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds of meeting them, and I fell for Joan almost from the moment I saw her,” Branson wrote in a February 2020 blog post on Virgin.com, reflecting on the first time they met. “Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics.”