"Will love you forever, Joan" Billionaire Richard Branson mourns the loss of his wife
British billionaire Richard Branson has announced the death of his wife Joan on Instagram. She was not only "the most wonderful mother and grandmother", but also his best friend.
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- British billionaire Richard Branson announced the death of his wife Joan Templeman in a post on Instagram.
- Branson, who made a huge fortune in the music industry and aviation with his conglomerate Virgin Group, paid tribute to his wife as "the most wonderful mother and grandmother".
- Branson and Templeman met in 1967 and had been married since 1989.
It is the sad end of a great love affair: Sir Richard Branson announced the death of his wife Lady Joan Templeman in a touching Instagram post. Templeman was 80 years old.
The 75-year-old Branson, who made a billion-dollar fortune in the music industry and aviation with his conglomerate Virgin Group, wrote on Instagram:
"It is with a broken heart that I share that Joan, my wife and partner of 50 years, has passed away."
She continued: "She was the most wonderful mother and grandmother our children and grandchildren could have wished for. She was my best friend, my rock, my light, my world. I will love you forever, Joan."
The Bransons' love story began in 1976
The couple's love story began in 1976. In a blog post on the Virgin website years later, Briton Branson revealed that he had fallen in love with Templeman "from the first moment".
The Scottish-born woman, who kept her private life private, impressed him with her down-to-earth manner. Richard Branson and Joan Templeman married in 1989.
The Branson-Templeman couple became parents to three children: Holly, Sam and Clare Sarah. The latter tragically died just four days after her birth, having been born three months prematurely.
Richard Branson bought his wife an island
Just three years after their very first date, Richard Branson proved how much he loved Templeman: when he heard about an island for sale in the British Virgin Islands, he spontaneously decided to buy it - even though he couldn't actually afford it.
He subsequently bought Necker Island in 1979 for 180,000 US dollars. The island is around 840 meters long from east to west and up to 650 meters wide.
"We were still in the early days of Virgin Records and I definitely didn't have the money to buy it - but try explaining that to a fool in love," Richard Branson later noted in his blog.
He affectionately described the island, on which the entrepreneur still lives today and offers exclusive tourism, as his "second love at first sight".
