‘MY BEST FRIEND’

Richard Branson ‘Heartbroken’ After Wife of 50 Years Dies

The two were together for almost 50 years.

Sir Richard Branson announced in a statement on Tuesday that his wife, Joan Templeman, has died. “Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” Branson, 75, wrote on Instagram. ”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. Love you forever, Joan.” Branson and Templeman, 80, started dating after meeting at The Manor, Virgin Records’ live-in recording studio, in 1976, and got married on Necker Island in 1989. They had three children together: Holly, 44, Sam, 40, and the late Clare Sarah, who died when she was four days old. Branson said in a 2020 blog post that with Joan, it was love at first sight. “I often make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds of meetings [sic] them, and I fell for Joan almost from the moment I saw her,” Branson wrote. Branson did not reveal his wife’s cause of death.