What happened to Joan Washington? Richard E. Grant shares heartbreaking letter from late wife

Actor Richard E. Grant shared a love letter from his late wife, Joan Washington, on Valentine's Day 2024 via his Instagram handle. In 2021, Grant lost Joan to lung cancer eight months after receiving the initial diagnosis. Joan was 74 when she died at the couple's Cotswolds Cottage.

The couple married in 1968 and share a daughter, Olivia. Since Joan's death, the Withnail and I actor has often posted pictures and videos of their time together.

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Richard E. Grant shares late wife's letter on Valentine's Day

Since Joan Washington's death, Richard E. Grant has expressed profound grief on his social media via posts and videos. The letter posted on Valentine's Day 2024 is among many such posts. The letter read:

"My darling husband Richard, I've always loved you. I always will. Have fun and be brilliant J xxx"

Per the post's caption, the Salburn actor spotted these old letters tucked away in several boxes after Joan's death. He also said that these letters were a part of the couple's traditions - whenever either would leave town, they would leave a letter for the other.

Snippets from their time together have been compiled into a memoir titled A Pocket of Happiness. The book's name, Grant shares, came from Joan, who encouraged Grant to find " a pocket of happiness every day."

Richard E. Grant's heartfelt tribute to his late wife is a poignant reminder of their enduring bond. In the book, readers find a touching chronicle of their love story, imbued with humor, warmth, and the realities of life's ups and downs and Joan's illness.

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Who was Joan Washington?

Joan Washington was born in the United Kingdom on Dec 21, 1946. Washington, who was 10 years older than Richard, was an actor and a much sought-after dialect coach in the film industry, working with Anne Hathaway, Emma Stone, Barbra Streisand, Thandiwe Newton, and more.

Grant, a Swaziland native, could not afford Joan's hourly fees of £20 and bargained down to £12 an hour. He promised to reimburse her should he "make it big." Richard E. Grant wrote the following in 2021 after her demise:

"Joan and I continued eating and yakking and I somehow managed to miss the midnight Tube back to my bedsit in Notting Hill from Richmond and so began our conversation which continued and lasted 38 years long, finally ending at 7.30 last Thursday evening, holding each other's hands, telling her how much I loved her."

He also mentioned that Prince Charles, now the King, had visited Joan a month before her death.

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Joan Washington left behind a legacy that extends far beyond her professional accomplishments.