Richard Branson announced the death of his wife Joan Templeman, 80, on Tuesday, saying he was “heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away.”

In a post on social media, the Virgin Group founder wrote: “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.”

Branson, who built Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, often credited Templeman for being the constant presence in his life. The couple married in 1989 and had three children — Holly, Sam and Sarah Clare. Sarah Clare died shortly after birth in 1979.

The two first met in 1976 at The Manor, Branson’s recording studio in Oxfordshire.

In a 2020 blog post, he recalled: “Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics,” reported The Guardian.

He credited his success to Templeman. “I wouldn’t have been able to do all it without Joan, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he wrote in the blog post.

At the time, Templeman worked at an antique shop that specialised in old signs.

“I hovered uncertainly outside the shop, then built up the courage to walk in ... 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.

Branson later called her a “very private person” who had “always stood by me mentally, emotionally and spiritually”.

Their son Sam Branson paid tribute to his mother, calling her “the kindest, most loving, warm and abundantly generous woman to walk this Earth. I am so deeply grateful to have had the privilege of being your son and being able to call you mum.”