Sir Richard Branson has announced the death of Lady Joan, his beloved wife of 50 years.
Announcing her death aged 80 on social media on Tuesday, the Virgin boss wrote: '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. Love you forever, Joan x'
Lady Joan, who shares two children with Sir Richard, has long been credited as the billionaire's 'rock' and 'source of wisdom'.
In a post last month, the Virgin tycoon posted a photograph, showing him kissing his wife's head and the words: 'Everyone needs a Joan in their life.'
Lady Joan was thought to be in good health when she celebrated her 80th birthday this summer, with Sir Richard paying tribute to her on his social media.
'Thank you for being by my side through it all – the highs, the lows, and all those quiet, content and peaceful moments in between. These are the moments I cherish most with you, I love you more and more each year,' he wrote on Facebook in July.
Sir Richard Branson today announced the death of Joan, his beloved wife of 50 years
In a post earlier this month, the Virgin tycoon posted a photograph, showing him kissing his wife's head
The couple on their wedding day on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands
The couple had been looking forward to celebrating their 50th anniversary in just a few months on February 7.
They met in 1976 at The Manor, a live-in recording studio for Virgin Records, where the business magnate said he 'fell in love' with her at first sight.
He has previously revealed how he was taken in by the 'beautiful, witty, down-to-earth' woman when she visited the studio in West London.
After finding out that she worked at a nearby, he recalls how he set about wooing her.
In a 2015 blog celebrating her 70th birthday, Sir Richard said: 'I fell in love with her from the first moment I saw her, while she worked in a bric-a-brac shop in Westbourne Grove, in London.
'A blonde-haired, down to earth, Scottish beauty who didn't suffer fools, Joan was unlike any other women I had ever met.
'To win her heart, I had to persistently hang around the shop and buy countless objects before we started courting….'
He signed off the blog: 'As the saying goes, behind every man there's a great woman.
'Joan you are the greatest woman of all. Happy birthday and thank you for choosing to come on this adventure with me.'
The earliest picture of Richard and Joan. Lady Joan, who shares two children with Sir Richard, has long been credited as the billionaire's 'rock'
Sir Richard shared this photo of Lady Joan on his social media accounts to announce his wife's death
Lady Joan was thought to be in good health when she celebrated her 80th birthday this summer
Sir Richard pictured with Lady Joan and their daughter Holly in 2003
The couple pictured in 1996 during a charity dinner at Harrods
Sir Richard and Lady Joan pictured at the engagement party of Holly Branson to Fred Andrews in 2011
The couple pictured in 1991. Their relationship spanned more than four decades
In a later blog in 2020, marking their wedding anniversary, he added: 'Far beyond record titles, I owe a lot to Joan….Joan has always been a steady source of wisdom and has played no small part in some of my better life decisions.'
The pair were wed 14 years after first meeting in 1989 on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands when their two children, Holly and Sam, were eight and four.
Lady Joan was from the beginning, despite her husband's fame, a very private person, keen to avoid the public eye and rarely gave an interview.
She was described as the 'most amazing mother' to her children as well as the 'perfect grandmother' to her five grandchildren, Etta, Artie, Lola, Eva-Deia and Bluey Rafe Richard.
Born Joan Templman in Glasgow, Scotland in 1945, she had hailed from humble beginnings with her father working as a ship carpenter to support her and her six siblings.
Sir Richard previously described how he met Joan on February 7, 1976, at the Virgin Records studio, the Manor, where he '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'.
After finding out that she worked at a nearby bric-a-brac store on Westbourne Grove, he set about wooing her...by buying trinkets galore from the shop including a 'Now, that's what I call music' sign that would later inspire the record company's best-selling compilation records.
In a 2020 blog post, he wrote: 'I often make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds of meetings them, and I fell for Joan almost from the moment I saw her.
The proud parents pictured with Holly. The pair were wed in 1989 when their two children, Holly and Sam, were eight and four
Lady Joan and Sir Richard pictured at the Boodles Boxing Ball in 2013
In 2016, Sir Richard revealed how he only bought Necker Island in a bid to impress Joan
The couple share a kiss as Sir Richard is honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018
'Over the next few weeks, my visits to Joan amassed me an impressive collection of old hand painted tin signs, which advertised anything from Hovis bread to Woodbine cigarettes.'
Sir Richard described how the house boat he lived on at the time soon became cluttered with the wide variety of items he picked up from Joan's shop in a bid to win her affections.
He added: 'Far beyond record titles, I owe a lot to Joan. She's my wife of 31 years, partner of 45 years, the mother of our two wonderful children and my constant rock.
'Joan has always been a steady source of wisdom and has played no small part in some of my better life decisions.
'The very best was when Joan and I got married on Necker 11 years later and it’s still the place we call home.
'The day after our wedding Sam, who was seven-years-old, was invited to another wedding. What made me smile was his response: “But dad they can’t be getting married. They haven’t had any children yet!"
'If I cast my mind back to that day at The Manor 44 years ago, I never could have imagined what the next four and a half decades would bring, with a lifetime of love, wonderful children in Holly and Sam and our delightful grandchildren.'
In 2016, Sir Richard revealed how he had only bought Necker Island in a bid to impress Joan after he managed to wangle an all-expenses paid trip to see the idyllic retreat in the late '70s.
She was described as the 'most amazing mother' to her children as well as the 'perfect grandmother' to her five grandchildren, Etta, Artie, Lola, Eva-Deia and Bluey Rafe Richard
Lady Joan pictured on holiday with daughter Holly
The pair pictured on their wedding day in 1989 with their children, Holly and Sam
The couple pictured in 2024. In 2020, Sir Richard said: 'Joan has always been a steady source of wisdom and has played no small part in some of my better life decisions'
Writing in a love letter to his wife as the couple celebrated their 40th anniversary together almost a decade ago, the Virgin boss said he put an offer of $100,000 on the up-for-sale island in a bid to impress then girlfriend Joan - despite knowing Necker's owner expected much more for it.
After the couple began dating, Sir Richard said he heard that the island was for sale.
The estate agent selling it, impressed by Branson's record company-owning credentials, offered an all-expenses paid trip to see it.
Sir Richard managed to persuade them to let him take along a guest - Joan. He writes: 'Together we strolled around Necker Island and dreamed up plans for turning it into our home and a haven for musicians.
'Smitten with the unspoilt paradise, and keen to impress Joan, I offered the highest amount I could afford: $100,000.
'The realtor's 'discounted' asking price was $6 million, so you can imagine the response I got. There was no laid-on helicopter on our return trip, and we hitch-hiked back to the airport.'
Sir Richard's persistence paid off though in every sense; a year later he offered $180,000 after 'begging and borrowing' and the island was his.
He then married Joan there 11 years later and the island is now thought to be worth hundreds of millions.
The pair were wed in 1989 when their two children, Holly and Sam, were eight and four.
The couple had five grandchildren Artie, Etta (Holly's children) and Lola, born to Holly and husband Fred, and Eva-Deia and Bluey Rafe Richard, born to Sam and wife Isabella.
