Joan Templeman, the wife of British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, has died aged 80.
The Virgin Records founder and airline tycoon shared the news on his Instagram page, writing that he was "heartbroken" to announce that Ms Templeman, his partner of almost 50 years, had died.
"She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for," Sir Richard, 75, wrote.
"She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. Love you forever, Joan."
Ms Templeman was not publicly known to be ill, and the post did not specify a cause of death.
A down-to-earth Scottish woman who preferred to stay out of the spotlight, Ms Templeman was frequently credited by Sir Richard as a stabilising force on his career, providing a counter-balance to his extravagant personality.
While the bleached-blonde billionaire jetted across the world, launching reality shows and business ventures including Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic, Ms Templeman worked as a stay-at-home mum and later turned her focus to philanthropy.
In particular, she supported a number of premature birth charities after her daughter Clare died at just four days old, having been born three months premature.
In 2013, she and her husband co-signed Bill Gates's and Warren Buffet's Giving Pledge, a promise to donate the majority of their wealth to charity in their lifetime.
Having lost homes on three separate occasions — including a sinking houseboat early in their relationship, and a lightning strike on their holiday home in 2011 — the couple wrote in their pledge letter that they had realised material "stuff" did not really matter.
"Even the loss of photo albums and notebooks were of little consequence," Sir Richard wrote on the couple's behalf.
"Family, friends, good health and the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference are what really matters."
Sir Richard wrote often about Ms Templeman on his personal blog, where in 2020 he told the story of the first time they met, in 1976.
Then a young entrepreneur, he first crossed paths with her at The Manor, Virgin Records' live-in recording studio, where he said he fell for her "almost from the moment I saw her".
"I quickly realised she wouldn't be impressed by my usual antics," he wrote.
Rather than double down on his instinctual flashiness, he decided to get to know her better by paying regular visits to her workplace — a shop in London's Notting Hill district that sold decorative antique advertisements.
Pretending to be an antique sign enthusiast, Sir Richard set about making daily purchases at the shop.
"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," he wrote.
After some initial reluctance — both having been previously married, Ms Templeman to a member of Scottish heavy metal band Nazareth — the couple eventually tied the knot in 1989 on Necker Island, Sir Richard's private retreat in the British Virgin Islands.
"Joan has always been a steady source of wisdom and has played no small part in some of my better life decisions," Sir Richard wrote in 2020.
"I wouldn't have been able to do [it all] without Joan, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Ms Templeman is survived by Sir Richard, their daughter Holly and son Sam, and five grandchildren.
