“The Emotional Love Letter Sir Richard Branson Wrote to His ‘Rock’ Joan — Shared After Announcing Her Death Following 50 Years Together”
Joan Branson, who has died at the age of 80, was the quiet, steady force behind her billionaire husband Sir Richard Branson — his “rock,” his anchor, and the constant presence through every rise and fall of the Virgin empire. Now, as he mourns the woman who stood by him for half a century, a deeply emotional anniversary letter he once wrote to her has resurfaced, revealing the depth and tenderness of their lifelong bond.
The earliest known photo of the couple dates back to 1976, taken at The Manor — Virgin’s residential recording studio — where they first met. Sir Richard marked their 44th anniversary in 2020 by recalling that unforgettable moment, when Joan was simply preparing a cup of tea and he felt himself fall almost instantly under her spell.
“I usually know what I think of someone within 30 seconds of meeting them,” he wrote. “And I fell for Joan the moment I saw her.”
To him, she was the “down-to-earth Scottish lady” who couldn’t be dazzled by the antics of an ambitious young music entrepreneur — and that only made her more captivating.
Even years earlier, in 2016, he’d described her as “unlike anyone else”: witty, bright, beautiful, grounded — with “eyes made of magic.”
Their early romance was far from smooth. After discovering she worked in a small bric-a-brac shop in Westbourne Grove, he tried to win her attention with the same determination that would eventually fuel his business empire. Yet Richard — still far from the confident billionaire he would become — stumbled through awkward visits, wandering the shop and purchasing quirky tin advertisements to justify repeated appearances.
Among the odd collection he bought was a Danish Bacon sign featuring a pig licking its lips at a chicken — a poster that would inspire the iconic title Now That’s What I Call Music!, the compilation series that went on to dominate the charts.
Despite these legendary ripples through pop culture, Joan herself always stayed far from the spotlight. Born in Glasgow in 1945 and raised among six siblings, she valued privacy and simplicity. Even as her husband became one of the world’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, she rarely gave interviews and preferred the quietness of family life.
Years later, the couple married on Necker Island — the same island Richard had once tried to buy as an extravagant attempt to impress her. At the time, Virgin was still young, and he couldn’t afford it. His lowball offer was rejected, and he famously ended up hitchhiking back to the airport. A year later, after scraping together the funds, he returned and purchased the island for $180,000.
On their wedding day in 1989, their children Holly and Sam — then eight and four — stood by their side. The family grew over the decades, and the couple later welcomed six grandchildren: Artie, Etta, Alex, Lola, Eva-Deia, and Bluey Rafe Richard.
In his emotional anniversary note, Sir Richard wrote:
“Beyond record titles, I owe so much to Joan. My wife for 30 years, my partner for 44, the mother of our wonderful children — she has always been my rock.”
He credited many of his best life decisions to her wisdom and unwavering steadiness — including the decision to turn Necker Island into a family haven.
Reflecting on their life together in 2016, he wrote:
“Forty years have flown by with you at my side. It’s been one big, ridiculous adventure of fun, friendship, and love. Your eyes are still as magical as the day we met.”
Joan had celebrated her 80th birthday just months earlier and was believed to be in good health. Only days before announcing her passing, Richard shared a touching tribute: “Everyone needs a Joan in their life,” accompanying a photo of the woman who had stood beside him for nearly a lifetime.
Five years before her death, he reflected on the serendipity of their meeting at The Manor:
“I could never have imagined what the next four decades would bring — a lifetime of love, our wonderful children, our beautiful grandchildren. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it without Joan. And I wouldn’t have wanted to.”
Today, their love story — stitched together with devotion, persistence, and the kind of quiet magic that rarely makes headlines — stands as a testament to the woman behind one of the world’s most driven dreamers.
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