Joan Branson, the wife of British entrepreneur and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, has died at the age of 80. Branson shared the news on his social media accounts, while the family has chosen not to disclose details surrounding her passing.
“With unimaginable heartbreak, I share the news of Joan’s death — my wife and partner for 50 years,” Branson wrote. “She was an extraordinary mother and grandmother, a true gift to our children and grandchildren. She was my best friend, my anchor, my guiding light — my entire world.”
Richard Branson is known globally as the founder of Virgin Atlantic, the space tourism company Virgin Galactic, and the satellite-launch operator Virgin Orbit.
In a 2020 reflection, Branson recalled first meeting Joan in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in England. He described her as “a simple Scottish lady,” not easily impressed by his youthful antics.
At the time, Joan worked in an antique shop specializing in vintage signs and advertising plaques. Branson remembered standing outside the shop for a long moment before mustering the courage to walk in. Over the following weeks, he returned again and again — eventually amassing a collection of hand-painted tin signs advertising everything from Hovis bread to Woodbine cigarettes.
Throughout their marriage, the couple raised two children, Holly and Sam. Their third child, Clare Sarah, tragically died shortly after birth in 1979.
