Joan Templeman, the wife of Sir Richard Branson, British billionaire founder of the Virgin Atlantic airline, space tourism company Virgin Galactic, and satellite launcher Virgin Orbit, has died at the age of 80.
Branson announced her death on Tuesday in a post on social media, saying he was “heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away.”
“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.” Branson said.
Decades Long Marriage
The couple who got married in 1989 had three children: Holly, Sam and Sarah Clare. Tragically, Sarah Clare died shortly after birth in 1979. In a 2020 blog post, Branson said he met Templeman in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in Oxfordshire, England.
“Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics,” Branson wrote.
He said she worked at an antique shop that sold old signs and advertisements. “I hovered uncertainly outside the shop, then built up the courage to walk in. 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,” Branson wrote.
