The top publisher behind the Harry Potter series has died in Italy after falling from a boat and into its propeller, authorities have confirmed.
Adrienne Vaughan, 44, was left seriously injured by the accident in waters off the coast of Amalfi, in the province of Salerno, near Naples. The president of Bloomberg USA was rushed to hospital and died about an hour after her arrival.
Adrienne, 45, and her husband Mike along with their children, Leanna, 14, and Mason, 11, were holidaying on the Italian coast when their chartered boat slammed into a tourist vessel with 85 people aboard celebrating a wedding at around 6.30pm August 3.
The married mother-of-two was travelling in a gozzo boat – known as a traditional wooden Capri boat that has a large sundeck – which crashed into the Tortuga, a tourist sailing ship.
Vaughan was thrown overboard during the crash and was dragged underneath the tourist boat’s propellers. She sustained deep cuts across her body, including a head wound. Despite the best efforts of medics, they were unable to save her
Vaughan’s husband was also injured in the crash, but her two children were unscathed. The Italian Coast Guard was on the scene following the crash as were private boats who came to assist.
The Amalfi Port Authority is now investigating the accident. It was currently unclear how the two boats collided.
Vaughan became president of the Bloomsbury publishing house in 2021 – the American branch of the British publishing house which published all seven Harry Potter novels.
She was involved in several high-profile projects throughout her career as a publisher including the books which captured the hearts of people young and old from the late 1990s until today.
Prior to her role at Bloomsbury, she worked at Disney publishing group from 2015 to 2018. She began her career at Scholastic and published both children’s books and academic material.
“She was my coach and my mentor. I loved working with her every day. It was always ready to help others,” a former colleague wrote of Vaughan on LinkedIn.
The family from New York had visited Rome just days before the crash taking photos in front of the Trevi Fountain and Colosseum.
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