AP
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Joan Branson, wife of British billionaire Richard Branson, has died at the age of 80.
Branson announced his death on Instagram and LinkedIn on Tuesday. No other details were disclosed.
“I am heartbroken to learn of the passing of Joanne, my wife and partner of 50 years,” he said. “She was the most amazing mother and grandmother our children and grandchildren could ever wish for. She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, and my world.”
Richard Branson is the founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, space travel company Virgin Galactic, and satellite launch company Virgin Orbit.
In a 2020 blog post, he said he met Joan in 1976 at The Manor, a recording studio in Oxfordshire, England.
“Joan is a down-to-earth Scottish woman and I quickly realized that my usual antics would not impress her,” Branson wrote.
She said she worked at an antique store selling old signs and advertisements.
“I wandered unsteadily outside the store, then plucked up the courage to come inside. . . . Over the next few weeks, Joan’s visits brought together an impressive collection of old hand-painted tin signs advertising everything from Hovis bread to Woodbine cigarettes,” Branson wrote.
The couple had three children: Holly, Sam, and Claire Sarah. Claire Sarah died shortly after birth in 1979.
