Warner Music Executive Ben Vaughn Was in the Middle of a Divorce When He Died at Age of 49

Music executive Ben Vaughn, who served as President/CEO of Warner Chappell, was in the middle of finalizing his divorce at the time of his death, In Touch can exclusively report.

According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Ben, who is well-known in the country music world, filed for divorce from his wife Kimberly Vaughn on January 17 in Tennessee.

In his petition, filed by his attorney Larry Hayes Jr., Ben listed the date of marriage as October 19, 2024, and the date of separation as the date of his divorce filing. He said they did not have any children. Ben listed the reason for the divorce as “irreconcilable differences.”

In addition, Ben asked that “because of the short duration of the marriage, the parties have not acquired any marital property or debts of significant.”

Ben asked the court to make an equitable division of any assets and liabilities of the marriage.

On January 24, Ben submitted a divorce settlement signed by him and Kimberly.

The deal read, “It is the decision of the parties, insofar as they are able without concurrence of the court, to amicable settle their differences with respect to all property rights, support obligations, and obligations for payments of debts, and to enter into a contract for the settlement of such rights and obligations, not only for the present, but for the future, being their intention that such contract will be affected with respect to all property and other matters of concern.”

The deal said that the parties owned no joint property, and each party was awarded all property in their individual name.

Ben and Kimberly agreed to keep their separate clothing, jewelry, tools and guns.

The deal also provided Ben with his retirement and investment accounts and all his separate assets. Ben agreed to pay Kimberly $280,000 upon her leaving the marital home. The divorce settlement had yet to be signed off on by the court.

Kimberly tells In Touch, “Ben and I loved each other very much. As Christians, neither of us wanted to divorce. He and I were both distraught about it. We continued to try everything we could to save our marriage all the way through this week. Our entire family is devastated about our loss. Ben was an incredibly loving, devoted father, husband and son. We had many joyful times together and that is what I choose to remember about him.”

On January 30, The Hollywood Reporter announced Ben had died at the age of 49.

His cause of death has yet to be released. The outlet said Ben started working for Warner Chappell Nashville in 2012. A memo was sent out by Warner Chappell Nashville’s cochairs, Guy Moot and Carianne Marshall.

The duo told staff, “It is with broken hearts that we share the unthinkable news that Ben Vaughn, President & CEO of Warner Chappell Nashville, passed away this morning.”

They continued, “Our deepest condolences are with his family and many friends. Ben has led our Nashville team since 2012, and we know that many of you around the world got to know him over the years.”

The cochairs added, “Anyone who had the pleasure of working with him will be as shocked and saddened as we are. First and foremost, Ben was an extraordinary human being. He met everyone with enthusiasm, warmth, and generosity. His smile was huge, and his sense of humor was infectious.”

Ben was previously married to Carlee Vaughn. Carlee passed away in 2022 after a 15-year cancer battle. The two wed in 1998.