Richard Branson has announced the demise of his wife, Joan Templeman. In an Instagram post, the prolific businessman penned a letter to his late wife of five decades, paired with a portrait photo of her in a red dress. "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," he wrote. As of this writing, the exact cause of her demise remains unclear. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostRichard Branson penned a heartfelt ode to his wife of five decades: Read more Richard Branson has long been vocal about his love for his wife, Joan Templeman. Back in 2020, in honor of the 44 years since they first met, he penned a post on the Virgin Blog, dedicated to her. “I often make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds of meetings them, and I fell for Joan almost from the moment I saw her. Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realized she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics,” he wrote at the time. He also shared some tips on keeping the romance alive during a conversation with Page Six in 2019. “I think you have to work on it,” he said. “I think if you just sit back and wait for it to come it’s not necessarily going to happen. I think you’ve got to be willing to subtly chase somebody if you’re really interested. With my own wife, I was known as ‘Tagalong,’ ” he added. “I would end up literally chasing. Finally, hopefully, they’ll give in.”Richard Branson and Joan Templeman tied the knot in 1989. Over the years, they welcomed three kids: Holly, Sam, and the late Clare Sarah. The latter died at 4 days old after she was born three months prematurely. They also eventually welcomed three grandchildren Artie and Etta, born to Holly, and Eva-Deia, born to Sam. View this post on Instagram Instagram Post"If I cast my mind back to that day at The Manor 44 years ago, I never could have imagined what the next four and a half decades would bring, with a lifetime of love, wonderful children in Holly and Sam and our delightful grandchildren," he concluded his post on Virgin in 2020. Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more.