British entrepreneur Richard Branson is in mourning following the death of his wife, Joan Templeman, at the age of 80. Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, shared his heartbreak in an Instagram post late Tuesday, expressing that “life will never be the same without her.” While he did not specify the cause of her passing, he noted that she had recently been recovering from a back injury in a hospital in England.
Reflecting on their decades-long partnership, Branson eulogized the deep bond they shared, describing “fifty incredible years of memories” filled with “tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture.” He emphasized the simplicity and joy of their relationship, saying, “It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”
The couple leaves behind two adult children, Holly and Sam, along with several grandchildren, who Branson said were “devastated” by the loss. Branson and Templeman first met in London in 1976, and he has previously described falling in love with her at first sight. The pair married 13 years later on the private Necker Island in the Caribbean—a retreat Branson purchased in the late 1970s for $180,000 and where they made their home for decades.
Templeman, a private and reserved figure, avoided the public spotlight throughout her life. Branson fondly described her as a “down-to-earth Scottish lady” who rarely gave interviews. He paid tribute to her character in his message, writing that she “lived so fully and joyfully, always thinking of others, always lifting everyone else up.”
Her passing marks the end of a cherished partnership that inspired those around them and left an indelible mark on the Branson family and all who knew her.