Joan Branson, who has died aged 80, was a ‘rock’ for her billionaire husband Sir Richard as Virgin soared from a fledgling record company to one of Britain’s most successful multinational conglomerates.
And the music mogul revealed his love for his wife had not dimmed after decades together in an emotional letter penned to her on their anniversary.
Celebrating 44 years since they locked eyes in Virgin’s live-in recording studio, The Manor, in 1976, Sir Richard gushed about their romantic first meeting while she ‘just happened to be making a cup of tea’.
‘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,’ he wrote in a blog post in 2020.
‘Joan was a down-to-earth Scottish lady and I quickly realised she wouldn’t be impressed by my usual antics.’
Sir Richard previously said in 2016 that the woman she saw in the studio ‘was unlike any other women I had ever met’.
‘She was beautiful. She was bright. She was witty. She was down to earth. She was fun. And she had eyes made of magic.’
After finding out Joan worked at a nearby ‘bric-a-brac shop’ in Westbourne Grove, he set about wooing her, demonstrating the relentless persistence he has subsequently shown over the course of five decades in business.
At this time, Virgin was fast becoming a household name after Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells became a runaway first success for the label.
But Sir Richard’s bumbling attempts at winning his Scottish lady’s affections did not smack of the confidence of a future billionaire.
Joan Branson, who has died aged 80, acted as a ‘rock’ for her billionaire husband Sir Richard (pictured: the couple together in 2013)
The earliest picture of Sir Richard and Joan. They met in 1976 at The Manor, a live-in recording studio for the company
The loved up couple, pictured in Hollywood in 2018 as he was honoured with a star
‘The feeling wasn’t immediately reciprocated,’ Sir Richard admitted in 2016. ‘I had to work hard for her attention, and ultimately affection.’
‘One day, I hovered uncertainly outside the shop, then built up the courage to walk in,’ the music mogul added in his 2020 blog.
‘The shop sold old signs and advertisements, which I pretended to the shop owner, Liz, that I was fascinated by.
‘Over the next few weeks, my visits to Joan amassed me an impressive collection of old hand painted tin signs, which advertised anything from Hovis bread to Woodbine cigarettes.
‘I lived on a houseboat at the time and it was soon full of signs declaring messages like, “Dive in Here for Tea” and “Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained”.
‘At one point, I picked up a Danish Bacon poster where the pig was licking his lips and looking at a chicken on a nest saying, “Now That’s What I Call Music”.
‘At the time, Virgin Records was launching a new compilation album series and we were trying to come up with a name. The kitsch poster must have been etched in my mind as we brainstormed and settled on, “Now That’s What I Call Music!”.
‘The phrase was catchy and it went on to become the biggest selling album series in history.’
Despite her influence on music folklore, Joan, who was born in Glasgow in 1945 and raised by her ship carpenter father with her six siblings, preferred to remain out of the limelight.
From the beginning, despite her husband’s fame, she remained a very private person, keen to avoid the public eye and rarely gave an interview.
The couple pictured with daughter Holly. After finding out she worked at a nearby ‘bric-a-brac shop’ in Westbourne Grove, he set about wooing her
They got married on the billionaire’s Necker Island, purchased in a bid to impress his new lady
The pair pictured on their wedding day on Necker Island in 1989 with their children, Holly and Sam
In his tear-jerking love letter, Sir Richard added: ‘Far beyond record titles, I owe a lot to Joan. She’s my wife of 30 years, partner of 44 years, the mother of our two wonderful children and my constant rock.
‘Joan has always been a steady source of wisdom and has played no small part in some of my better life decisions.’
‘In fact, I owe Necker island to Joan,’ he added.
Yes, the billionaire’s very own island in the British Virgin Islands was bought in a bid to wow his new belle – although the ploy did not work out as planned at first.
Sir Richard said: ‘Two years after we had first met, I wanted to show Joan a grand gesture of affection.
‘Upon hearing about a beautiful island in the British Virgin Islands up for sale, I called the people selling it to enquire.
‘We were still in the early days of Virgin Records and I definitely did not have the cash to buy it – but try telling that to a fool in love!
‘The realtor offered me a trip to see the island. Before we knew it, Joan and I were high in the sky, looking down over our future home. It was the second time I experienced love at first sight.
From the beginning, despite her husband’s fame, Joan remained a very private person, keen to avoid the public eye and rarely gave an interview (pictured: the couple in 1991)
Sir Richard and Lady Joan pictured at the engagement party of Holly Branson to Fred Andrews in 2011
Sir Richard pictured with Lady Joan and their daughter Holly in 2003
‘Together we strolled around Necker Island and dreamed up plans for turning it into our home and a haven for musicians.
‘Our dreams quickly came crashing down after they rejected my highest offer of $100,000.
‘The realtor’s “discounted” asking price was $6 million, so you can imagine the response I got.
‘Needless to say, the helicopter left without us and we were left to hitch-hike back to the airport – ego bruised and sunburnt.’
Sir Richard’s persistence paid off though in every sense; a year later he offered $180,000 after ‘begging and borrowing’ and the island was his.
He then married Joan there 11 years later and the island, which soon became home for the pair, is now thought to be worth hundreds of millions.
The pair were wed in 1989 when their two children, Holly and Sam, were eight and four.
The couple had five grandchildren Artie, Etta (Holly’s children) and Lola, born to Holly and husband Fred, and Eva-Deia and Bluey Rafe Richard, born to Sam and wife Isabella.
‘I don’t like to think what my life would be like had I not met Joan,’ Sir Richard said in 2016.
‘Forty years have flown by with you at my side. It’s been one big ridiculous adventure of fun, friendship and love. Thank you for making life extraordinary. Your eyes are still as magic as they were forty years ago!’
Lady Joan was thought to be in good health when she celebrated her 80th birthday this summer
The couple had five grandchildren Artie, Etta and Lola, born to Holly and husband Fred, and Eva-Deia and Bluey Rafe Richard, born to Sam and wife Isabella
The billionaire announced Joan’s death on his social media on Tuesday, just days after he proudly posted that, ‘Everyone needs a Joan in their life,’ alongside a picture of his beloved wife.
Lady Joan was thought to be in good health when she celebrated her 80th birthday this summer.
‘If I cast my mind back to that day at The Manor 44 years ago, I never could have imagined what the next four decades would bring, with a lifetime of love, wonderful children in Holly and Sam and our delightful grandchildren,’ Sir Richard said in his blog five years ago.
‘I wouldn’t have been able to do all it without Joan, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
