Sir Richard Branson mourns the loss of his wife Joan Branson
26 november 2025 в 21:13
Sir Richard Branson mourns the loss of his late wife, Joan Branson (nee Templeman). The billionaire, who is the co-founder of the Virgin Group, announced her death on November 25, 2025, in a public statement he posted on his Instagram.
«With a heavy heart, I announce that Joan, my wife and partner of 50 years, has passed away», - Richard wrote. «She was the most wonderful mother and grandmother our children and grandchildren could have ever dreamed of. She was my best friend, my rock, my light, my world. I love you forever, Joan».
Below, learn about Richard’s late wife, their marriage, and her life before her death.
Richard is a British billionaire entrepreneur and co-founder of the Virgin Group empire. According to Forbes, as of 2025, his net worth is $ 2.8 billion.
The businessman is known for starting his entrepreneurial career as a teenager. At 16, he launched his magazine, Student, and then in 1970, his mail-order record business. Later, he opened a chain of stores called Virgin Records. The brand rapidly expanded in the 1980s, allowing Richard to launch the airline Virgin Atlantic and expand the music label Virgin Records.
Richard has been married twice in his life. His first marriage was to his ex-wife Kristen Tomassi from 1972 to 1979. Later, he met his second wife, Joan, in 1976.
Richard fondly described how he met Joan over the years. He first saw her in a junk shop on Westbourne Grove in London, near the Virgin Records studio. At the time, Joan was still married to her ex-husband, Ronnie Leahy.
After starting their relationship, Richard set himself an ambitious goal to buy an island in the British Virgin Islands to impress Joan. After he acquired the land, which was then worth $ 6 million, for just $ 180,000, Richard renamed it Necker Island. The Branson family lived there after Joan and Richard got married in 1989.
In an Instagram post he published after Joan’s death in 2025, Richard reminisced about 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 love that shaped our family more than words could ever convey», - the entrepreneur captioned his post. «These were relationships that worked. We had a lot of laughter. We were very lucky».
Yes, Richard and Joan welcomed their children, Holly and Sam, during their relationship.
Richard acknowledged how «crushed» he and their children are by Joan’s passing. «But I am far more grateful for the extraordinary gift of life we shared — with our wonderful children, Sam and Holly, and our wonderful grandchildren, who adored her (and her sweets!) as deeply as I did», - Richard wrote in a lengthy Instagram post in November 2025.
Richard did not specify the cause of Joan’s death. She was 80 years old.
Calling her «everything to him» and «a shining star around which the universe of our family always revolved», - Richard promised in November 2025 on social media that «her light will not go out; it has simply taken on a new form. It will guide us forward. And we will always carry her with us»
«With a heavy heart, I announce that Joan, my wife and partner of 50 years, has passed away», - Richard wrote. «She was the most wonderful mother and grandmother our children and grandchildren could have ever dreamed of. She was my best friend, my rock, my light, my world. I love you forever, Joan».
Below, learn about Richard’s late wife, their marriage, and her life before her death.
Richard is a British billionaire entrepreneur and co-founder of the Virgin Group empire. According to Forbes, as of 2025, his net worth is $ 2.8 billion.
The businessman is known for starting his entrepreneurial career as a teenager. At 16, he launched his magazine, Student, and then in 1970, his mail-order record business. Later, he opened a chain of stores called Virgin Records. The brand rapidly expanded in the 1980s, allowing Richard to launch the airline Virgin Atlantic and expand the music label Virgin Records.
Richard has been married twice in his life. His first marriage was to his ex-wife Kristen Tomassi from 1972 to 1979. Later, he met his second wife, Joan, in 1976.
Richard fondly described how he met Joan over the years. He first saw her in a junk shop on Westbourne Grove in London, near the Virgin Records studio. At the time, Joan was still married to her ex-husband, Ronnie Leahy.
After starting their relationship, Richard set himself an ambitious goal to buy an island in the British Virgin Islands to impress Joan. After he acquired the land, which was then worth $ 6 million, for just $ 180,000, Richard renamed it Necker Island. The Branson family lived there after Joan and Richard got married in 1989.
In an Instagram post he published after Joan’s death in 2025, Richard reminisced about 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 love that shaped our family more than words could ever convey», - the entrepreneur captioned his post. «These were relationships that worked. We had a lot of laughter. We were very lucky».
Yes, Richard and Joan welcomed their children, Holly and Sam, during their relationship.
Richard acknowledged how «crushed» he and their children are by Joan’s passing. «But I am far more grateful for the extraordinary gift of life we shared — with our wonderful children, Sam and Holly, and our wonderful grandchildren, who adored her (and her sweets!) as deeply as I did», - Richard wrote in a lengthy Instagram post in November 2025.
Richard did not specify the cause of Joan’s death. She was 80 years old.
Calling her «everything to him» and «a shining star around which the universe of our family always revolved», - Richard promised in November 2025 on social media that «her light will not go out; it has simply taken on a new form. It will guide us forward. And we will always carry her with us»
© Kolganov Andrey
