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Sir Richard Branson is paying tribute to his late wife, Joan Templeman.
Weeks after he announced Templeman’s death on Nov. 25, the businessman, 75, penned a heartfelt message about his partner of nearly 50 years.
“Thank you to everyone who has shared such kind messages about Joan. Our whole family are so touched by the outpouring of love,” Branson began on Instagram on Tuesday. “It brings us great comfort and it means so much to us all. We’re the kind of family that now just want to celebrate Joan and the wonderful life she lived.”
The English billionaire, who tied the knot with Templeman in 1989, added that he feels “so fortunate to have met her all those years ago.”
“She was just a joy to be around – as so many of your messages reiterated. Sending big hugs to everyone who has been in contact. And to anyone who has lost a family member recently, our thoughts (and Joan’s thoughts, I’m sure) are with you as well,” concluded Branson.
In his post, Branson included a black and white shot of the pair kissing and a photo of himself holding Templeman’s face as the two of them laugh together.
Last month, the Virgin Group founder shared via Instagram that Templeman had died.
“Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” Branson wrote online. “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,” he noted.
A cause of death has yet to be revealed.
Branson went on to post a series of family photos to Instagram.
“Holly, Sam and I are all together now, doing our best to smile through the tears and to focus on all the good things Joan brought into our world. There are so many,” he shared in the caption.
“Fate has a strange way of working,” Branson reminisced. “As many already know, I’d come off my bike in India and hurt my shoulder. Joan was recovering from her own back injury in hospital in England. In the way life sometimes surprises you, I found myself moved to a room just down the corridor from her. We laughed together about how typical it was of us to end up on the same floor, like love-struck teenagers delighted to find each other again.”
He detailed having a “lovely lunch that day” and that Templeman was “in positive spirits and getting stronger.”
“Then suddenly, she was gone, quickly and painlessly. And thankfully, I was right by her side. It brings us all great comfort to know we were together,” Branson added.
He went on to gush over the “incredible final year we all had together,” which included his wife’s 80th birthday.
“Life will never be the same without her,” he penned. “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. It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”
Branson and Templeman first met at his Virgin Records shop, and two years later, the author bought Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands for his other half.
The couple tied the knot on Necker Island in 1989, and welcomed three children: Holly, 44, Sam, 40, and Clare Sarah, who died at four days old in 1979.
Holly and Sam followed in their parents footsteps, having their respective weddings on the island as well.
Holly maried Freddie Andrewes in December 2011, while Sam wed Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe in March 2013.
In a 2016 blog post, Branson, who was previously married to Kristen Tomassi from 1972 to 1979, called Templeman “a very private person.”
“And over four decades we have been together she has remained so,” he explained. “She has always been keen to avoid the public eye.”
Four years later, Branson wrote a 2020 blog post in honor of it being 44 years since they met. At the time, he said that he “fell for Joan from the moment I saw her.”
“Joan is a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realized she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics,” detailed Branson. “Far beyond record titles, I owe a lot to Joan. She’s my wife of 31 years, partner of 45 years, the mother of our two wonderful children and my constant rock. Joan has always been a steady source of wisdom and has played no small part in some of my better life decisions.”
As for the key to his successful marriage, the entrepreneur credited putting in the effort.
“I think you have to work on it,” Branson told Page Six in 2019. “I think if you just sit back and wait for it to come it’s not necessarily going to happen. I think you’ve got to be willing to subtly chase somebody if you’re really interested.”