By Jacob Stolworthy
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鈥檚 business affairs since 2017, was driving an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) when she reportedly ran into another car鈥檚 bumper with such impact that it sent the vehicle 鈥減lunging 350 feet down into a ravine鈥.
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鈥 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鈥檚 life post-transition, I Am Cait, as well as Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
In 2017, Hutchins, who was also transgender, replaced Jenner鈥檚 ex-wife Kris Jenner as Caitlin鈥檚 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 鈥減romotes equality and combats discrimination鈥 against transgender people.
After posting regular photos from the mansion, it was incorrectly reported that the pair were romantically linked 鈥 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: 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 describe it as romantic. I would describe it as: we鈥檙e partners, business partners.鈥
鈥淲e 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鈥檙e partners in everything we do 鈥 we鈥檙e inseparable, we鈥檙e business partners, we live together, we share a dog, we share family, we share a life together.鈥
She said that she offered to manage Jenner as she noticed 鈥渁ll these people taking massive advantage鈥 of the reality star, who appeared on ITV series I鈥檓 a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Haere! in 2019.
鈥淚 was saying: 鈥楥aitlyn, if I don鈥檛 step in here and start managing you, you鈥檙e going to go broke,鈥欌 she told The New York Times in 2019.
Hutchins also revealed that she was supported by Jenner鈥檚 ex Kris, with whom Caitlin has two daughters, Kylie and Kendall Jenner.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like we鈥檙e like girlfriends having drinks all the time, but you know, if there鈥檚 ever a concern or ever a question or anything I have needed help with, Kris would be the first phone call,鈥 Hutchins told Behind the Velvet Rope podcast in 2020.