Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur behind the Virgin Group, expressed heartfelt sorrow today while announcing the passing of his cherished wife, Lady Joan. In an emotional tribute, he revealed that she died “quickly and painlessly.”

At the age of 80, Lady Joan passed away after spending five decades with her husband, who is now 75. Sir Richard shared these personal details yesterday, as he publicly mourned the loss of his lifelong companion.

Branson recounted a recent period in which both he and Lady Joan experienced health issues. He sustained a shoulder injury while in India, which led to his hospitalization in England. Coincidentally, Lady Joan was also in the hospital, recovering from a back injury at the same time.

In a poignant moment, the couple shared a lunch together before Lady Joan’s peaceful passing at his side. They were long-time partners and parents to three children: Sam, Holly, and Sarah Clare, the latter of whom tragically died just four days after birth.

Accompanying his tribute were tender photographs capturing their life together. Sir Richard reflected, “Life will never be the same without her. But we have fifty incredible years of memories—filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture.”

‘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 

The couple are pictured with their two adult children, Holly and Sam 

Sir Richard kisses his wife Lady Joan in a photo he shared to pay tribute to her

The tycoon suffered a shoulder injury after coming off his bike in 2016. He did not make clear in today’s post when he was injured, but he travelled to India a few days ago for The Strive Challenge – a series of physical and mental challenges for charity. 

Sir Richard, who said he is now with the couple’s two adult 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.’ 

Signing off the tribute, Sir Richard called Lady Joan his ‘shining star’, adding: ‘We are devastated she is gone. But I am far more grateful for the extraordinary gift of the life we shared – with our remarkable kids, Sam and Holly, and our wonderful grandkids, who adored her (and her sweets!) just as deeply as I did. 

‘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.’ 

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.

Tributes to Joan poured in on Wednesday, with the couple’s son Sam Branson describing her as the ‘kindest, most loving, warm, witty and abundantly generous woman to walk this Earth’.

Sharing a touching photograph of himself and Joan with one of her grandchildren, he said of his mother: ‘You instantly made everyone in your presence feel like all was well with the world.’

Joan and Richard Branson pictured with their children, Holly and Sam

Richard and Joan Branson got married on Necker Island in the Caribbean Sea in 1989  

Sam Branson shared a touching photograph of his mother Joan with one of her young grandchildren as he paid tribute to her on Wednesday

Sam Branson said he is ‘so deeply grateful to have had the privilege of being your son and being able to call you mum’

He added: ‘Thank you for all that you were to me, to our family and to everyone who was blessed by your graceful, loving presence.

‘I am so deeply grateful to have had the privilege of being your son and being able to call you mum.

‘Words cannot express how much I will miss you and how I wish you were still here to console me about the loss of you. But somehow you still are… and that is the magic of you. I love you to the moon and back. Forever and Ever.’

Family friend and former model Heather Mills added: ‘There are very few words you can say to somebody in pain after loving someone they adore so much, so I thought I would say it with this song. 

‘Those who knew Joan will know what this means….to my dear Richard Branson and his family at this difficult time.’

Yesterday, the business magnate 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.’ 

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. 

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’ 

Sir Richard and Lady Joan share a kiss on their wedding day in Necker Island in 1989

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

‘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. 

The couple had been looking forward to celebrating their 50th anniversary in just a few months on February 7. 

Lady Joan, who is survived by her two adult children with Sir Richard and five grandchildren, 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.’