“She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for,” Sir Richard, 75, wrote.<\/p>\n
“She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. Love you forever, Joan.”<\/p>\n
Ms Templeman was not publicly known to be ill, and the post did not specify a cause of death.<\/p>\n
A down-to-earth Scottish woman who preferred to stay out of the spotlight, Ms Templeman was frequently credited by Sir Richard as a stabilising force on his career, providing a counter-balance to his extravagant personality.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sir Richard Branson posted this photo of Joan Templeman alongside the announcement of her death. (Instagram: @richardbranson)<\/p>\n
While the bleached-blonde billionaire jetted across the world, launching reality shows and business ventures including Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Galactic, Ms Templeman worked as a stay-at-home mum and later turned her focus to philanthropy.<\/p>\n
In particular, she supported a number of premature birth charities after her daughter Clare died at just four days old, having been born three months premature.<\/p>\n
In 2013, she and her husband co-signed Bill Gates’s and Warren Buffet’s Giving Pledge<\/a>, a promise to donate the majority of their wealth to charity in their lifetime.<\/p>\n Having lost homes on three separate occasions \u2014 including a sinking houseboat early in their relationship, and a lightning strike on their holiday home in 2011 \u2014 the couple wrote in their pledge letter<\/a> that they had realised material “stuff” did not really matter.<\/p>\n “Even the loss of photo albums and notebooks were of little consequence,” Sir Richard wrote on the couple’s behalf.<\/p>\n “Family, friends, good health and the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference are what really matters.”<\/p>\n Sir Richard Branson and Joan Templeman with their two adult children, Holly and Sam. (Instagram: @richardbranson)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n