NEED TO KNOW
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Richard Branson announced the death of his wife Joan Templeman on Tuesday, Nov. 25
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“She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world,” Branson wrote on social media
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The couple wed on Necker Island in the Caribbean in 1989
Sir Richard Branson is mourning the loss of his beloved partner of 50 years.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Branson announced on social media that his wife Joan Templeman had died at age 80.
“Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” Branson wrote on Instagram. “She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum 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, 30 and Clare Sarah, who died at 4 days old after being born three months premature.
Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty
Richard Branson and Joan Templeman attend the Premiere of ‘Wall Street’ on April 27, 1988.
“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.”
Branson explained he met his future wife while she was working at an antique shop in London. Meanwhile Branson was in the early days of building his empire.
Richard Branson Instagram
Richard Branson and Joan Templeman.
In fact, Branson credits the purchase of Necker Island, his private retreat in the Caribbean, to Templeman.
“Two years after we had first met, I wanted to show Joan a grand gesture of affection,” he wrote. “Before we knew it, Joan and I were high in the sky, looking down over our future home. It was the second time I experienced love at first sight.”
Eleven years after purchasing the island, the couple wed there. Following in their parents’ footsteps, their children Holly and Sam also married there, in December 2011 and March 2013, respectively.
Jon Furniss/WireImage
Richard Branson, Sam Branson, Joan Templeman and Holly Branson.
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Templeman largely stayed out of the limelight throughout her life.
“From the beginning, Joan was a very private person, and the over four decades we have been together she has remained so,” he wrote in a 2015 blog post. “She has always been keen to avoid the public eye.”
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