Sir Richard Branson’s touching posts to his beloved wife before announcing she had passed away – as video shows pair celebrating Necker Island wedding
Sir Richard Branson today said his beloved wife Lady Joan died ‘quickly and painlessly’ as he shared an emotional tribute to her.
Yesterday the Virgin tycoon, 75, revealed his partner of 50 years had passed away aged 80.
Today Sir Richard said ‘as many already know’, he suffered a shoulder injury in India, and was hospitalised alongside his wife who was recovering from a back injury in England at the same time.
The tycoon suffered a shoulder injury in 2016, so it is unclear which injury he is referring to.
He said the couple had lunch together, before Lady Joan died ‘quickly and painlessly’ by his side.
Sharing a series of sweet photographs of the couple over the years, he penned: ‘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.
‘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.
‘We had a lovely lunch that day. 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. 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.’
Sir Richard Branson has paid tribute to his wife Lady Joan, who passed away aged 80
Sir Richard kisses his wife Lady Joan in a photo he shared to pay tribute to her
Yesterday, Sir Richard revealed his beloved wife had passed away
Sir Richard, who said he is now with the couple’s two children Holly and Sam, added: ‘What an incredible final year we all had together. Her beautiful 80th birthday celebration at Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco, surrounded by her closest friends; Sam’s 40th celebrations onboard Virgin Voyages; countless moments where she was beaming with happiness.
‘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.’
Yesterday, Sir Richard uploaded a close-up of his wife, accompanied by a moving tribute which read: ‘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.’
It comes as an emotional video of the pair getting married on Necker Island in 1989 has come to light, showing the business magnate putting a ring on Lady Joan’s finger. They met in 1976 at The Manor, a live-in recording studio for Virgin Records, where Sir Richard said he ‘fell in love’ at first sight.
Footage shows the couple sharing a long kiss on their wedding day as Lady Joan places her veil over her husband’s head, encompassing both of them.
In another post on November 15, the Virgin tycoon posted a photo showing him kissing his wife’s head alongside the words: ‘Everyone needs a Joan in their life.’
And on November 12, he wrote a paragraph including words for his wife alongside an old picture of them. ‘I credit a good deal of my success – not to mention my marriage – to being a good listener,’ he wrote.
Lady Joan was thought to be in good health when she celebrated her 80th birthday this summer, with Sir Richard paying tribute to her on his social media.
‘Thank you for being by my side through it all – the highs, the lows, and all those quiet, content and peaceful moments in between. These are the moments I cherish most with you, I love you more and more each year,’ he wrote on Facebook in July.
Sir Richard shared this photo of Lady Joan on his social media accounts to announce his wife’s death just over a day later
In a post earlier this month, the Virgin tycoon posted a photograph, showing him kissing his wife’s head. He captioned it: ‘Everyone needs a Joan in their life’
The pair got married on Necker Island in 1989
Sir Richard and Lady Joan share a kiss on their wedding day in Necker Island
Sir Richard announced the death of Joan, his beloved wife of 50 years, yesterday
The couple pictured with their daughter Holly. The pair were wed in 1989 when their two children, Holly and Sam, were eight and four
Sir Richard pictured with Lady Joan and their daughter Holly in 2003
The couple had been looking forward to celebrating their 50th anniversary in just a few months on February 7.
Lady Joan, who shares two children with Sir Richard, has long been credited as the billionaire’s ‘rock’ and ‘source of wisdom’.
The business magnate has previously revealed how he was taken in by the ‘beautiful, witty, down-to-earth’ woman when she visited the studio in West London.
After finding out that she worked nearby, he recalls how he set about wooing her.
In a 2015 blog celebrating her 70th birthday, Sir Richard said: ‘I fell in love with her from the first moment I saw her, while she worked in a bric-a-brac shop in Westbourne Grove, in London.
‘A blonde-haired, down to earth, Scottish beauty who didn’t suffer fools, Joan was unlike any other women I had ever met.
‘To win her heart, I had to persistently hang around the shop and buy countless objects before we started courting…’
He signed off the blog: ‘As the saying goes, behind every man there’s a great woman.
‘Joan you are the greatest woman of all. Happy birthday and thank you for choosing to come on this adventure with me.’
