Caitlyn Jenner‘s manager Sophia Hutchins died in an ATV accident in Malibu on Wednesday, TMZ, People and multiple other outlets have reported. She was 29.
Hutchins was pronounced dead at the site of the accident Wednesday morning, law enforcement and family sources told TMZ, which reported that Hutchins was riding the ATV on the road where Jenner lives when she hit the bumper of a moving car, forcing the ATV over the shoulder and 350 feet down into a ravine.
The people in the car were not injured.
Hutchins and Jenner met around the time the former Olympian came out as a transgender woman and became close friends, so much so that there were rumors the two were romantically involved, which Hutchins strongly denied in a 2019 New York Times profile.
“We were never romantically involved,” she said matter-of-factly, the Times reported, saying tabloid reports of a relationship between her and Jenner continued, “because we weren’t addressing it.”
She added, “I don’t feel a need to address my sex life, quite frankly, unless I want to.”
Hutchins and Jenner met through the former’s makeup artist at a photo shoot, Hutchins told the Times.
“Having a similar sense of humor, we spent the entire time laughing and ended up meeting for brunch, and we’ve been great friends ever since,” she said, later explaining that she saw an opportunity to guide Jenner’s business endeavors.
“I saw nobody was managing her, and there were all these people taking massive advantage,” she told the Times. “And I was saying, ‘Caitlyn, if I don’t step in here and start managing you, you’re going to go broke.’”
During her senior year at Pepperdine, Hutchins beccame Jenner’s manager and moved into her Malibu home, the Times reported.
In a statement via her publicist shared with the Times in 2019, Jenner called Hutchins her “best friend, family and confidant.”
“She is one of the top minds in her field,” she added. “Her value in my life is undeniable. The sky is the limit with her entrepreneurial spirit.”
Hutchins, who reportedly served as executive director and CEO of Jenner’s eponymous trans activism foundation, like Jenner, was a transgender woman, opening up about taking a semester off to transition when she was a student at Pepperdine.
“I’ve always had the question of ‘Do I want to transition from male to female?’” Hutchins was quoted in the interview with Pepperdine student newspaper Graphic. “I never thought a lot about doing it until I got into college because I was able to break away from my family and started to establish my own identity.”
Though she told the Times in 2019 that she regrets that interview.
“Had I not done that interview, I never would have come out,” she said. “I would just live my life. Now people can’t really see past the trans thing.”
Originally from the Seattle area, Hutchins founded the sunscreen company Lumasol and served as a surrogate for President Trump’s 2024 campaign. She made a number of television appearances on his behalf and posed with him in photos posted to her Instagram account, including one from February 2024.
“The energy, passion and commitment for our movement to Save America has never been greater! We will never give up!” Hutchins captioned the image.
She and Jenner also attended the Starlight Ball as part of the festivities tied to Trump’s second inauguration.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to reps for Hutchins and Jenner.
