Joan Templeman, the wife of English business magnate Richard Branson, has died at age 80.
The Virgin Group founder announced his spouse’s death in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” Branson, 75, captioned a photo of his smiling wife. “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.”
No cause of death was given.
Branson’s announcement came shortly after he’d shared multiple photos of his wife in the last week.
“Everyone needs a Joan in their life,” he captioned a photo of the two of them sitting near a window last Tuesday.
“Love this photo of Joan,” he captioned an older photo of them smiling on Monday.
The couple met in 1976 and married in 1989 on a private island Branson owns in the British Virgin Islands. They had three children: Holly, Sam and Clare Sarah, who died days after her birth. They also had grandchildren Etta, Artie, Lola, Eva-Deia and Bluey.
In July, Branson paid tribute to Joan for her 80th birthday in another Instagram post that included a carousel of photos.
“Happy 80th to my wonderful, wonderful wife,” he wrote. “Thank you for being by my side through it all — the highs, the lows and all those quiet, content and peaceful moments in-between. These are the moments I cherish the most with you. I love you more and more each year.”
In an essay written for Joan’s 70th birthday, Branson revealed he “fell in love with her from the first moment I saw her” working at “bric-a-brac shop” in London.
“As the saying goes, behind every man there’s a great woman,” he wrote in 2015. “Joan you are the greatest woman of all. Happy birthday and thank you for choosing to come on this adventure with me.”
