Sophia Hutchins, a longtime friend and manager of Caitlyn Jenner, has died in an ATV crash.
Hutchins, 29, was reportedly operating the vehicle near Jenner’s home in Malibu, Calif., when she collided with a moving car and was thrown 350 feet down a ravine. Celebrity gossip site TMZ first broke the news.
Hutchins, the CEO and director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation, was pronounced dead at the scene on Wednesday morning, media reports say.
Hutchins, who was also transgender, and Jenner, 75, met during the former Olympian’s transition in 2015. She appeared in several episodes of Jenner’s docuseries I Am Cait, which ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016.
The pair were often photographed attending public events together, but denied on more than one occasion that they were in a relationship. They maintained that they were the “best of friends.”
Sophia Hutchins attends The Recording Academy and Clive Davis’ 2019 Pre-GRAMMY Gala at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 09, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California.
Axelle/ Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images
Born in 1996 in Bellevue, Wash., Hutchins graduated from Pepperdine University with a degree in economics and finance. An accomplished entrepreneur who began her career in venture capital, Hutchins was also the founder and CEO of Lumasol, a manufacturer and retailer of sustainable skin care products.
In 2020, she told Medium, “Don’t be afraid of the word ‘no.’ Successful people, entrepreneurs, and women more than anyone else are told ‘no’ all the time. If we allowed ‘no’ to deter us we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
“I’m ready to continue to grow and surround myself with positive uplifting people that believe in me, my ability to execute, and my vision for the future,” she added.