he head of the American arm of Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury has been killed off Italy’s Amalfi Coast in a boating tragedy while on holiday with her family.
The motorboat Adrienne Vaughan and her husband and two children were traveling on crashed into a tourist sailboat on Thursday, Italian state TV said, off the popular stretch of coastline near Naples.
According to Italian media reports, the motorboat, rented through a skipper, slammed into the sailboat, which was carrying dozens of US and German tourists, including some celebrating a wedding.
The impact of the crash knocked Mrs Vaughan into the water, where she was struck repeatedly by the motorboat’s propeller, the reports said.
She was pulled from the water and brought to a dock but died by the time a helicopter ambulance arrived, state TV said.
Mrs Vaughan was the president of Bloomsbury USA based in New York. The publishing company published J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
Mrs Vaughan had been promoted to the top role in 2021 after first joining as executive director and COO in September 2020. Her husband posted photos of the family enjoying their summer holiday in Rome on Wednesday.
Mrs Vaughan, who had a master’s degree in business from New York University, had worked at the Disney Book Group and Oxford University Press among other companies before joining Bloomsbury.
She was promoted to president a year later and also served on the board of the industry trade group the Association of American Publishers.
“Adrienne Vaughan was a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion and had a deep commitment to authors and readers,” said the association’s board chair, Julia Reidhead, and its president and CEO, Maria Pallante, in a joint statement.
“Most of all she was an extraordinary human being, and those of us who had the opportunity to work with her will be forever fortunate.”
The Italian Coast Guard office in Amalfi was investigating the crash.
Mrs Vaughan’s husband was hospitalised with a shoulder injury while the couple’s two young children were uninjured, according to the reports.
No one aboard the sailboat, including more than 80 US and German tourists and crew, were injured.
A blood test for the skipper of the motorboat tested positive, reported Italian news agency ANSA, without indicating whether the result indicated alcohol or drug consumption.
The skipper, who is Italian and about 30 years old, suffered a broken pelvis and ribs, ANSA said.
The family was on holiday in Italy, media reports said. When their motorboat crashed, it had been headed to Positano, one of the most popular destinations along the Amalfi coast, Italian media said.
The Standard has approached the Amalfi Port Authority for comment.
