Joan Branson, the longtime spouse of Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Atlantic airline and one of Britain’s best known business figures, has died.
Mr. Branson announced the death in an Instagram post on Tuesday. He did not cite a cause or say where she had died.
“Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away,” he said.
Mr. Branson has often said Joan influenced his approach to some of his most important decisions and credited his success, in business and in his marriage, to being a good listener.
In a blog post on the Virgin website in 2020, he recalled the days four decades earlier when they first met. He described how he visited her in the antique store where she worked in Notting Hill, a neighborhood in west London, pretending he was interested in purchasing the old signs and advertisements as a pretext to spending time with her.
“I often make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds,” he said, adding, “I fell for Joan almost from the moment I saw her.” He continued, “Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realized she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics.”
Christine Hauser is a Times reporter who writes breaking news stories, features and explainers.
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