“Suddenly, She Was Gone” — Richard Branson’s Wife Joan Templeman Died at Age 80

Billionaire business mogul Richard Branson announced via Instagram on Nov. 25, 2025, that his wife of nearly 50 years, Joan Templeman, had passed away at the age of 80. “Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” he captioned his post. “She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for.”

Not only was Joan his partner for nearly half a century, but according to Richard, she was also his “best friend."

While it’s pretty unusual for someone of his status to stay happily married for that long, Richard defied the odds, built a life with Joan, and seemed utterly smitten with her the entire time.

In a follow-up post on Nov. 26, 2025, Richard shared that Joan had been recovering in a hospital from a back injury, and he initially ended up in a room next to her. He didn’t offer much context or a timeline, which has left many wondering what Joan’s cause of death actually was. Here’s what we know.

Richard Branson didn’t disclose his wife Joan Templeman’s exact cause of death, but he did mention in his Nov. 26, 2025, Instagram tribute that she was gone “quickly and painlessly.” He also shared that he was right there beside her in her final moments. Joan actually appeared to be in good health back in July 2025, when the couple celebrated her 80th birthday at Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco.

He did, however, mention a moment where they were ironically placed near one another in a hospital in England, which at first almost sounds like she had been hospitalized right before her death.

But that doesn’t seem to be the case. In his post, Richard wrote, “Fate has a strange way of working. As many already know, I’d come off my bike in India and hurt my shoulder. Joan was recovering from her own back injury in hospital in England. In the way life sometimes surprises you, I found myself moved to a room just down the corridor from her. We laughed together about how typical it was of us to end up on the same floor, like love-struck teenagers delighted to find each other again.”

He added that they even had lunch that day and that “She was in positive spirits and getting stronger. She smiled at me, that radiant smile that lit up her whole face, the same smile I fell in love with the very first moment I saw her, half a century ago.” But then he shared the heartbreaking part: “Then suddenly, she was gone, quickly and painlessly. And thankfully, I was right by her side. It brings us all great comfort to know we were together.”

The more serious bike accident in India Richard seems to be referencing is likely the one from 2016 (he was also in an accident in 2021, according to Virgin, but that one wasn’t as severe).

While Richard mentioned that “life will never be the same without her” and that he and his family are “devastated she’s gone,” he also acknowledged they had “50 incredible years of memories — years filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture. It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”

Joan not only leaves behind her loving husband but also two kids, Sam and Holly, though the couple actually welcomed three children in total. Their first child, a daughter named Clare Sarah Branson, was born three months prematurely in 1979 and sadly passed away four days after birth, per People. Holly arrived in 1981, and then Sam in 1985.

At the end of his tribute to Joan, Richard wrote, “Holly, Sam, and I are all together now, doing our best to smile through the tears and to focus on all the good things Joan brought into our world.”