British Billionaire Richard Branson mourns loss of wife

British entrepreneur and Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson, has paid an emotional tribute to his wife, Joan Templeman, following the announcement of her death.

Templeman passed away at the age of 80.

Branson revealed the sad news in an Instagram post late Tuesday, describing himself as “heartbroken”. In a touching message shared on Wednesday, he said that “life will never be the same without her,” reflecting the deep bond the couple shared for decades.

Although he did not disclose the cause of death, Branson noted in a blog post that Templeman had recently been recovering from a back injury in a hospital in England.

Messages of condolence have continued to pour in for the Branson family as many remember Templeman for her warmth and long-standing support for her husband’s ventures.

Eulogising their decades-long relationship, Branson said they had enjoyed “fifty incredible years of memories”.

“Years filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture,” he added in the message, shared on his Virgin Group’s website.

“It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”

Branson said the family, which includes their two adult children, Holly and Sam, and several grandchildren, were “devastated” at the loss.

The couple first met in London in 1976, with the tycoon previously saying he had fallen in love with Templeman at first sight.

They married 13 years later, on the private Necker Island in the Caribbean, which Branson had bought in the late 1970s for $180,000 and where they have lived for decades.

Templeman avidly avoided the public spotlight, with Branson describing her as a “down-to-earth Scottish lady” and “very private person” who almost never gave interviews.

In his post Wednesday, he said she “lived so fully and joyfully, always thinking of others, always lifting everyone else up”.

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