Richard Branson’s Wife Joan Templeman Dead at 80

Richard Branson announced on Tuesday that his wife, Joan Templeman, passed away at the age of 80. The Virgin Group founder shared the news on Instagram, saying he was “heartbroken” by the loss.

In the post, Branson described Templeman as his closest companion and the steady presence in his life. He memorialized her as his “best friend,” “rock” and “guiding light,” and said she had been an extraordinary mother and grandmother.

Branson and Templeman first crossed paths in 1976, a meeting he has often reflected on fondly. In a February 2020 blog post on Virgin.com, he wrote of their first meeting: “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.”

He’s also attributed much of his professional success to her enduring support: “I wouldn’t have been able to do all it without Joan, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he wrote in that same blog.

Throughout their nearly five decades together, Branson frequently credited Templeman with keeping him grounded. When she turned 80 in July, he celebrated her birthday online, calling her his “wonderful, wonderful wife” and thanking her for standing alongside him through every triumph, setback and quiet moment in between.

No details about the cause of her death have been released.

Richard Branson announced on Tuesday that his wife, Joan Templeman, passed away at the age of 80. The Virgin Group founder shared the news on Instagram, saying he was “heartbroken” by the loss.

In the post, Branson described Templeman as his closest companion and the steady presence in his life. He memorialized her as his “best friend,” “rock” and “guiding light,” and said she had been an extraordinary mother and grandmother.