After their 50 year romance, Virgin boss Richard Branson revealed how a strange twist of fate permitted him to spend his wife Joan by her side during her final days.
Sir Richard Branson announced earlier this week that he had tragically lost his beloved wife Joan, 80, his partner for almost 50 years. In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Richard, 75, revealed how an extraordinary twist of fate allowed him to be at her side in her final hours.
He claimed that he had fallen off his bike while attending an Indian charity event and that his shoulder had been injured, leaving Joan, who was recovering from a back injury in an English hospital, unaware of the incident. After announcing her death, he wrote in a recent Instagram post that Fate had an odd way of working. I’d jumped off my bike in India, and as many people know, my shoulder hurt.
“Joan was in a hospital in England recovering from her own back injury. I was moved to a room just down the corridor from her, just like life occasionally surprises you.
We laughed as a group about how common it was for us to end up together, like teenagers who were delighted to find each other again. The billionaire claimed Joan had been in “positive spirits” shortly before she passed away and that the couple had a “lovely lunch.”
She was suddenly gone, quickly and painlessly, he continued. And thankfully, I was right there for her. Knowing that we were together makes us all feel great peace, he said. He also compared our collectively incredible final year to “an incredible one.”
When Richard first described it as “love at first sight,” the couple first met in 1976. He said, “I frequently make up my mind about a person within 30 seconds of meeting them, and I was almost instantly drawn to Joan.” I quickly realized Joan wouldn’t be impressed by my typical antics because she was a down-to-earth Scottish woman.
Richard said he would visit Joan frequently to purchase vintage signs from her, many of which decorated the houseboat he lived on, because she at the time worked in an antiques store in Notting Hill. Before getting married on Necker Island in 1989, they had two children, Holly, 44, and Sam, 40.
Richard attributed Joan to some of his biggest business victories, calling her his “constant rock” and a “steady source of wisdom.” Now That’s What I Call Music! is a slogan that they all came up with. which eventually became the best-selling album series in history.
Announcing her death on Tuesday, Richard wrote on social media: “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.”
Source: Mirror
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