Virgin Group founder billionaire Richard Branson shared a message about the death of his wife, Joan Templeman, on Instagram, reports UNN.
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"It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Joan, my wife and partner of 50 years, has passed away," Richard Branson wrote.
In the post, Branson called Templeman his closest companion and a constant presence in his life. He immortalized her memory as his "best friend," "rock," and "guiding light," and said she was an extraordinary mother and grandmother.
As Entrepreneur notes, Branson and Templeman first met in 1976, and he often fondly recalled that encounter. In a February 2020 post on Virgin.com, he wrote about their first meeting: "I often form an opinion of someone within 30 seconds of meeting them, and I fell in love with Joan almost from the moment I saw her."
He also attributes much of his professional success to her constant support: "I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without Joan, and I wouldn't have seen anything else," he wrote in the same blog post.
Throughout their nearly five decades together, Branson often credited Templeman with keeping him grounded. When she turned 80 in July, he celebrated her birthday online, calling her his "wonderful, wonderful wife" and thanking her for being by his side through every triumph, setback, and quiet moment in between.