Richard Branson announced Tuesday that his wife of 50 years, Joan Templeman, has died. She was 80 years old.
Branson shared the news on his Instagram account, writing that he was “heartbroken.”
He wrote, “She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.”
The billionaire entrepreneur who founded the Virgin Group said Joan was “the most wonderful mother and grandmother to our children and grandchildren.”
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Sir Richard Branson and wife Joan Templeman attend a ceremony honoring Sir Richard Branson with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 16, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Excel/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images)
No information was immediately given about Joan’s cause of death.
Sir Richard Branson and Joan Templeman attend the 2016 Pre-Grammy Gala Honoring Irving Azoff and Salute to Industry Icons at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 14, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Lester Cohen/WireImage/Getty Images)
Branson first met Joan in 1976 at the Virgin Records studios. According to the London Evening Standard, he later recalled experiencing “love at first sight” when he first saw “the unassuming Scottish beauty who had just made a cup of tea”.
Branson often paid tribute to Joan, who celebrated her 80th birthday in July, as an important force in his life.
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Branson celebrated the birthday with a post on social media, wishing his “wonderful, wonderful wife” a happy birthday and thanking her for being there for him through all the “highs, lows, and all the quiet, content and peaceful moments in between.”
This is a developing news story; Check back for updates.
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