Sir Richard told how the family are ‘devastated’ by the loss
RICHARD Branson has revealed his wife died “quickly and painlessly” in a heartbreaking post.
The 75-year-old’s beloved wife of 50 years Joan sadly passed aged 80, it was confirmed yesterday.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Sir Richard shared today how his “guiding light” had been in hospital for a back injury before her death.
He 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. There are so many.
“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.”
The billionaire recalled they shared a “lovely lunch” and Joan was in “positive spirits”.
“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,” he explained.
Sir Richard paid tribute to “an incredible final year we all had together”.
He spoke of Joan’s 80th birthday, their son Sam’s 40th, and “countless moments where she was beaming with happiness”.
Paying tribute to “his rock”, Sir Richard continued: “She lived so fully and joyfully, always thinking of others, always lifting everyone else up. To see her so happy in those last months is something we will treasure forever.
“Life will never be the same without her. But we have 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. It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky.”
Sir Richard told how the family are “devastated” by the loss but “far more grateful for the extraordinary gift of the life we shared”.
“Joan was my everything, the shining star around which our family’s universe has always orbited. That light is not gone; it’s just taken on a new shape. It will guide us forward. And we will carry her with us, always,” he wrote.
This comes after the billionaire posted an emotional tribute to Joan as he confirmed the sad news yesterday.
He 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.”
LOVE STORY
The inspirational couple met in 1976, and it was love at first sight, according to the British entrepreneur.
They locked eyes with each other at The Manor, a studio Branson created for Virgin Records.
He shared in 2020 how he “fell for Joan the moment I saw her” in a loved-up confessional.
His future wife was working in an antiques shop called Dodo in Notting Hill at the time.
Sir Richard’s first impression of his future wife was “a down-to-earth Scottish lady” who, he immediately realised, “wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics”.
However, Joan was already married at the time to her childhood sweetheart, Ronnie Leahy, after they tied the knot in 1966.
But Sir Richard got his hopes up, two years after initially meeting Joan, when she divorced Leahy.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t smooth sailing for the billionaire.
He revealed he was forced to chase Joan in order to win her heart.
She playfully christened him with the nickname “Tagalong” as he continued to pursue her.
He even admitted that he bought a whole island – Necker Island, where he lives to this day – purely to woo Joan.Hundreds feared dead in Hong Kong inferno as three arrested for manslaughter
But his persistence paid off and the couple eventually married in 1989 on his Necker Island in the Caribbean Sea.
They welcomed daughter Holly, 44, son, Sam, 40, and went on to enjoy five grandchildren – Etta, Artie, Lola, Eva-Deia and Bluey.
