Sir Richard Branson is grieving the loss of his late wife, Joan Branson (née Templeman). The billionaire, who co-founded the Virgin Group, announced her death on November 25, 2025, in a public statement, which he shared on his Instagram.
“Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” Richard wrote. “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 x.”
Below, learn about Richard’s late wife, their marriage and her life before she died.
Who Is Richard Branson?
Richard is a British billionaire entrepreneur and the co-founder of the Virgin Group empire. He controls multiple companies as of 2025, and he has a net worth of $2.8 billion, according to Forbes.
The businessman famously pursued an entrepreneurial career when he was still a teen. At 16, he launched his Student magazine, followed by his mail-order record business in 1970. He later opened a chain of stores under the name Virgin Records. The brand skyrocketed during the 1980s, which allowed Richard to start the Virgin Atlantic airline and expand the Virgin Records music label.
How Many Times Was Richard Branson Married?
Richard was married twice in his life. His first marriage was to ex-wife Kristen Tomassi from 1972 to 1979. He later met his second wife, Joan, in 1976.
How Did Joan Meet Richard?
Richard has affectionately described his and Joan’s meet-cute over the years. He first spotted her at a bric-a-brac shop in Westbourne Grove of London, not far away from the Virgin Records studio. At the time, Joan was still married to her ex-husband, Ronnie Leahy.
After they started dating, Richard set his ambitious goal of purchasing an island off the British Virgin Islands as a way to impress Joan. After he secured the land, which had an asking price of $6 million at the time, for just $180,000, Richard renamed it Necker Island. The Branson family lived there after Joan and Richard wed in 1989.
In an Instagram post he shared following Joan’s 2025 death, Richard reflected on the 50 years of memories he shared with his late wife.
“Life will never be the same without her. But we have fifty incredible years of memories – years filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture,” the entrepreneur captioned his post. “It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”
Did Richard & Joan Branson Have Children?
Yes, Richard and Joan welcomed their children, Holly and Sam, during their relationship.
Richard acknowledged how “devastated” he and their children were over Joan’s passing. “But I am far more grateful for the extraordinary gift of the life we shared – with our remarkable kids, Sam and Holly, and our wonderful grandkids, who adored her (and her sweets!) just as deeply as I did,” Richard wrote in a lengthy November 2025 Instagram post.
How Did Joan Branson Die?
Richard did not specify Joan’s cause of death. She was 80 years old.
Calling her his “everything” and a “shining star around which our family’s universe has always orbited,” Richard vowed in a November 2025 social media post that Joan’s “light is not gone; it’s just taken on a new shape. It will guide us forward. And we will carry her with us, always.”
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