SIR Richard Branson, 70, is the billionaire founder of Virgin Galactic.
Sadly, Richard announced the loss of his partner of 50 years, Joan, on November 25, 2025.
Branson shared the news of Joan’s passing on Instagram, paying emotional tribute to her as the “most wonderful mum and grandmum”.
“She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.
“Love you forever Joan x”
Who was Richard Branson’s wife Joan Templeman?
Joan Templeman passed away at the age of 80 in November 2025.
Joan was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
Her father worked as a ship carpenter to support her and her six siblings.
She was quite independent at an early age and worked in several jobs including running an antique store.
In 1966 she married her childhood sweetheart Ronnie Leahy but the pair got divorced in 1978.
It came as she met Branson, whom she married afterwards.
Templeman met the business magnate in 1976 at his Virgin Records studio.
When did Richard Branson and Joan Templeman get married?
The pair got married in 1989 at Branson’s Necker Island, a 74-acre island at the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea.
In 2016 the couple celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and the Virgin boss penned a love letter to Joan as a tribute.
The letter included: “I experienced love at first sight upon meeting a blonde-haired, down to earth, Scottish beauty named Joan, who just happened to be making a cup of tea.
“I generally make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds of meeting them, and Joan won my heart instantly. She was unlike any other women I had ever met.
“She was beautiful. She was bright. She was witty. She was down to earth. She was fun. And she had eyes made of magic.”
Do Richard Branson and Joan Templeman have children?
Branson and Templeman have a daughter named Holly who was born in 1981 and a son named Sam who was born in 1985.
During an interview with Piers Morgan Branson said the pair also had a daughter named Clare Sarah, who died when she was four days old in 1979.
Holly fullfilled her childhood dream of becoming a doctor and now holds a position at her father’s company.
Sam is an actor and the co-founder of a production company called Sundog Pictures.
