Sir Richard Branson’s touching posts to his beloved wife before announcing she had passed away – as video shows pair celebrating Necker Island wedding 

Sir Richard Branson today said his beloved wife Lady Joan died ‘quickly and painlessly’ as he paid an emotional tribute to her.

Yesterday, the 75-year-old Virgin businessman announced that his partner of 50 years had passed away at the age of 80.

Today Sir Richard said ‘as many people already know’ he suffered a shoulder injury in India and was hospitalized with his wife, who is also recovering from a back injury.

The businessman suffered a shoulder injury in 2016, so it’s unclear which injury he’s referring to.

He said the couple had lunch together before Lady Joan died ‘quickly and painlessly’ next to him.

Sharing a series of sweet photographs of the couple over the years, he penned: ‘Life will never be the same without her. But we have fifty years of incredible memories; Years filled with tears, laughter, kindness and a love that has shaped our family more than words can describe. It was a relationship that worked. We just laughed a lot. We were very lucky.

‘As many people already know, I got off my bike in India and injured my shoulder. Joan was recovering from a back injury in a hospital in England. Because life sometimes surprises you, I found myself moved into a room just down the hall from hers.

‘We all laughed together at how typical it was for us to stay on the same floor, like young people in love who were overjoyed to find each other again.

‘We had a very nice lunch that day. He was in a positive mood and getting stronger. She smiled at me, that radiant smile that lit up her entire face, the same smile I fell in love with the moment I first saw her half a century ago. Then suddenly, quickly and painlessly, it was gone. And thank God I was with him. It gives us all great comfort to know that we are together.’

Sir Richard kisses his wife Lady Joan in a tribute photo

Yesterday Sir Richard announced that his beloved wife had passed away

Sir Richard, who said he is now with the couple’s two children Holly and Sam, added: ‘What an incredible last year we have all had together. Beautiful 80th birthday celebration surrounded by her closest friends at Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco; Sam’s 40th celebration aboard Virgin Voyages; countless moments where he beamed with happiness.

‘He lived so fully and joyfully, always thinking of others, always lifting everyone up. Seeing him so happy in these final months is something we will cherish forever.’

Yesterday, Sir Richard uploaded a close-up photo of his wife, accompanied by this touching tribute: ‘I am so sad to share that Joan, my wife and partner of 50 years, has passed away.

‘She was the most wonderful mother and grandmother our children and grandchildren could ever ask for.

‘He was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. I will love you forever, Joan x.”

The businessman can be seen putting a ring on Lady Joan’s finger as emotional video emerged of the couple getting married on Necker Island in 1989. They met at Virgin Records’ live recording studio The Manor in 1976 and Sir Richard said he ‘fell in love’ at first sight.

In the footage, the couple can be seen sharing a long kiss on their wedding day, with Lady Joan placing her veil over her husband’s head and enveloping them both.

In another post on November 15, the Virgin businessman posted a photo of himself kissing his wife’s head, along with the words: ‘Everyone needs a Joan in their life.’

And on November 12, he wrote a paragraph with words for his wife next to an old photo of himself. ‘I owe much of my success – not to mention my marriage – to being a good listener,’ he wrote.

Lady Joan was thought to be in good health after Sir Richard paid tribute to her on social media as she celebrated her 80th birthday this summer.

‘Thank you for being with me throughout this process, the ups, the downs and all the quiet, happy and peaceful moments in between. “These are the moments I cherish the most with you, I love you more every year,” she wrote on Facebook in July.

Sir Richard shared this photo of Lady Joan on his social media accounts to announce his wife’s death a day later.

In a post earlier this month, the Virgin businessman posted a photo of himself kissing his wife’s head. She captioned it: ‘Everyone needs a Joan in their life’

The couple married on Necker Island in 1989.

Sir Richard and Lady Joan kiss on their wedding day on Necker Island

Sir Richard announced yesterday that his beloved wife of 50 years, Joan, had died.

The couple took a photo with their daughter Holly. The couple married in 1989, when their two children, Holly and Sam, were eight and four.

Sir Richard photographed with Lady Joan and their daughter Holly in 2003

The couple was looking forward to celebrating their 50th anniversary on February 7, just a few months later.

Lady Joan, who has two children with Sir Richard, has long been referred to as the billionaire’s ‘rock’ and ‘fountain of wisdom’.

The businessman previously explained how he was captivated by the ‘beautiful, witty, down-to-earth’ woman when he visited the studio in West London.

He remembers how he started courting her after finding out she worked nearby.

In a blog celebrating his 70th birthday in 2015, Sir Richard said: ‘I fell in love with her from the first moment I saw her while working in a knick-knack shop in Westbourne Grove, London.

‘Joan, the blonde-haired, down-to-earth, no-nonsense Scottish beauty, was unlike any woman I’d ever met.

‘To win her heart, I had to persistently wander around the store and buy countless objects before starting the courtship…’

He signed the blog: ‘As the saying goes, behind every man there is a great woman.

‘Joan, you are the most wonderful woman ever. Happy birthday and thank you for choosing to go on this adventure with me.’