Billionaire Richard Brandon loses 80-year-old wife to death

Joan Templeman, the wife of British billionaire Sir Richard Brandon Sir, has died at the age of 80.

Branson announced her death on Tuesday in a post on social media, saying he was “heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away.”

“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.”

Branson is the founder of the Virgin Atlantic airline, space tourism company Virgin Galactic and satellite launcher Virgin Orbit.

The couple had three children, Holly, Sam and Sarah Clare. Sarah Clare died shortly after birth in 1979. They were married in 1989.

In a 2020 blog post, Branson said he met Templeman in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in Oxfordshire, England. “Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics,” Branson had wrote.

Sam Branson described his mother as “the kindest, most loving, warm and abundantly generous woman to walk this Earth.

“I am so deeply grateful to have had the privilege of being your son and being able to call you mum,” he added.

While the family did not mention what had caused her passing, a subsequent blog post suggested that she had been recovering from a back injury in hospital in England.