Richard Branson is sharing emotional new details about the death of his wife of 50 years, Joan Templeman. In a heartfelt Instagram post, the Virgin founder revealed that Joan died âquickly and painlesslyâ in England after being hospitalized for a back injury.
Branson had been in the same hospital, recovering from injuries sustained in a bike accident in India. He wrote that the two even laughed about âhow typical it was for them to end up on the same floorâ as they spent their last afternoon together.
How Branson Spent Joanâs Last Moments by Her Side
He described Joan as being in âpositive spirits and getting stronger,â recalling how she âsmiled at me, that radiant smile that lit up her whole face,â the same smile he fell in love with half a century ago. A short time later, Joan passed away with Branson by her side. Their children, Sam and Holly, were also there.
Branson said he is âgrateful for the extraordinary gift of the life we shared â with our remarkable kids.â Joan was 80.
Sam Branson Shares a Heartbreaking Tribute to His Mom
Sir Richard Bransonâs son, Sam Branson, has also spoken out publicly following his motherâs death. Hours after Richard shared the news, Sam posted an emotional tribute honoring the woman he called the heart of his family.
âMum, you instantly made everyone in your presence feel like all was well with the world. You were the kindest, most loving, warm, and abundantly generous woman to walk this Earth,â Sam wrote.
He continued, âThank you for all that you were to me, our famil,y 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.â
âI love you to the moon and back ð. Forever and Ever â¥ï¸,â he added.
Sam also shared a carousel of photos spanning their decades together. One image showed him kissing Joanâs cheek shortly after the birth of one of his children with wife Isabella Calthorpe.
Other sweet photos included more recent selfies and childhood memories, including a shot of Sam sitting on Richardâs lap while Holly leaned gently against their mom.
Paris Hilton commented on the tribute, writing, âSo sorry Sam, sending you and your family my love and condolences.â
A Family Shaped by Love and Loss
Sam is the second of the three children Joan and Richard welcomed together. Their first child, Clare Sarah, was born in 1979, three months premature, and died four days later in Scotland.
Richard reflected on that painful chapter during a 2009 interview with Piers Morgan, as reported by People.
âI donât think anything could have brought us closer together, and I donât think we needed to go through something like that to bring us closer together,â he said. âHaving Holly and Sam, you know, 100% bound our relationship forever.â
He added, âWeâve been absolutely blessed [to have] two fantastic kids. There are other people we know whoâve lost a child who werenât able to carry on and have other children. For them, thatâs a nightmare they have to live with for the rest of their lives. For us, we just got two of the best kids we could imagine.â
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