Sophia Hutchins, the 29-year-old manager and close friend of Caitlyn Jenner, has been killed in a road collision that sent her plummeting down a cliff.
Hutchins, who has managed Jenner’s business affairs since 2017, was driving an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) when she reportedly ran into another car’s bumper with such impact that it sent the vehicle “plunging 350 feet down into a ravine”.
The accident, which was first reported by TMZ, occurred near her home in Malibu and Hutchins was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
There were two people in the car hit by Hutchins’ ATV, but they were not injured in the crash.
The Independent has contacted Jenner, authorities and the Kardashians for comment.
Hutchins, who was the CEO of a now-defunct beauty brand, formed a close bond with Jenner after meeting in 2015 when she came out as a transgender woman. They were introduced by their hairdresser.
She regularly appeared in the documentary tracking Jenner’s life post-transition, I Am Cait, as well as Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
In 2017, Hutchins, who was also transgender, replaced Jenner’s ex-wife Kris Jenner as Caitlin’s manager following their divorce, moving into her Malibu home worth $3.5m.
She also became CEO and director of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation, a non-profit organisation that “promotes equality and combats discrimination” against transgender people.
After posting regular photos from the mansion, it was incorrectly reported that the pair were romantically linked – but Hutchins told The New York Times in 2018 that this was never the case.
She spoke about their friendship in more detail on The Hidden Truth podcast, stating: “I wouldn’t describe it as romantic. I would describe it as: we’re partners, business partners.”
“We have so much in common and see the world so similarly, and are both such a good match for each other because we challenge each other. We’re partners in everything we do – we’re inseparable, we’re business partners, we live together, we share a dog, we share family, we share a life together.”
She said that she offered to manage Jenner as she noticed “all these people taking massive advantage” of the reality star, who appeared on ITV series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Haere! in 2019.
“I was saying: ‘Caitlyn, if I don’t step in here and start managing you, you’re going to go broke,’” she told The New York Times in 2019.
Hutchins also revealed that she was supported by Jenner’s ex Kris, with whom Caitlin has two daughters, Kylie and Kendall Jenner.
“It’s not like we’re like girlfriends having drinks all the time, but you know, if there’s ever a concern or ever a question or anything I have needed help with, Kris would be the first phone call,” Hutchins told Behind the Velvet Rope podcast in 2020.
