On Friday, August 4, 2023, Bloomsbury Publishing reported that Adrienne Vaughan, president of Bloomsbury USA, died in a boat crash while in Italy. She was 45. Vaughan, her husband and her kids were on a rented motorboat with a skipper. The motorboat crashed into a sailboat carrying more than 80 tourists. Vaughan’s husband, Mike White, was injured and hospitalized, but their two children were not injured but were dealing with shock.
The skipper is under investigation as he tested positive for substance use. White also alleges that the skipper was on his phone when the incident happened.
The crash happened off Italy's Amalfi Coast. The skipper was also injured according to Italian news agency ANSA. According to the Associated Press, the skipper is under investigation for manslaughter. Salerno Chief Prosecutor Giuseppe Borrelli said the investigation is ongoing and that blood samples used to determine alcohol and drug levels were inconclusive as of August 5.
The New York Post reported that White alleges the skipper was distracted by his phone.
“He was always on the phone," he said. Investigators reportedly want to use the skipper's phone records to help with their investigation.
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Borrelli said that passengers on the sailboat went into the water to rescue Vaughan after she fell into the water during the collision, and a vessel brought her to the dock, according to Italian state radio. Vaughan died before she could be taken to the hospital.
Bloomsbury Publishing released a statement following Vaughan's death.
"Our hearts go out to Adrienne’s husband and children, parents, family and friends," Nigel Newton, chief executive of Bloomsbury, said in the statement. "Bloomsbury is doing everything possible to provide the support they need on the ground in Naples and in the US. The loss of Adrienne is a terrible blow. Since she was appointed President of Bloomsbury USA three years ago, America has grown to become our biggest market."
"Adrienne was a natural business leader with a great future ahead of her. She was deeply loved by colleagues due to her combination of great personal warmth with a fierce determination to make the business succeed and grow. Her business instincts were outstanding and she loved authors, readers and her colleagues equally," Nigel continued in the statement.
The statement noted that Vaughan previously worked at Scholastic, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Little Pim, Oxford University Press, Disney Book Group, and Trustbridge Global Media. She joined Bloomsbury in 2020.
The trip to Italy was meant to be a relaxing family vacation that Vaughan had reportedly been "dreaming" about, according to the Daily Mail. Vaughan was also on the Association of American Publishers board and on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.
AAP board chair Julia Reidhead and Maria A. Pallante, AAP president and CEO, released a joint statement, calling Vaughan "a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion."
"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. We send our love and condolences to all those who are in shock and mourning at this tragic loss, most particularly her husband and two children, whom she spoke of frequently with great pride. We hold our colleagues at Bloomsbury in our constant thoughts and send prayers and very best wishes to her husband for the speediest possible recovery," they said in their joint statement.
Former colleagues on LinkedIn praised Vaughan for being "charismatic" and "positive."
"My only regret working with Adrienne was not being able to do so for longer," one person wrote in 2019.
