Caitlyn Jenner will be left heartbroken following the death of her best friend and manager Sophia Hutchins.
On Friday, it was announced that businesswoman Sophia, aged 29, tragically passed away in a quad bike accident after falling 350 feet down a cliff following a collision with a car.
It is not yet known if Caitlyn witnessed the crash or was at home at the time of the tragedy on Wednesday.
She has not yet released a statement about the loss and will be grieving the end of their ‘loving bond,’ which had also helped mend her relationship with her ex-wife Kris Jenner, 69.
After Kris and Caitlyn’s divorce, the two had a public falling out in 2017 when Caitlyn released her memoir, “The Secrets of My Life,” featuring a detailed account of Kris and their marriage.
Yet Sophia – who was inspired to come out as transgender after hearing Caitlyn’s story – proved to be the glue that helped keep them civil, having a good relationship with both parties.
Caitlyn Jenner will be left heartbroken following the death of her best friend and manager Sophia Hutchins as the pair famously had a ‘loving’ bond (pictured in 2018)
Sophia – who was inspired to come out as transgender after hearing Caitlyn’s story – also proved to be the glue that kept Caitlyn and Kris Jenner civil (pictured in 2015)
Sophia moved into Caitlyn’s $3.5million Malibu mansion and began working as the star’s manager in 2017, taking over the role from Kris.
She became the Olympian’s confidante, with eyebrows raised over their close bond and their many cosy outings.
Their relationship was well documented on the reality series, I Am Cait, a spin-off of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Yet despite living under one roof, Sophia insisted they ‘were never romantically involved’, telling The New York Times it was all about work and friendship.
‘Caitlyn is a parent to me. I have said that a million times. It is a parental, familial relationship,’ Sophia said.
Yet in 2019, she gushed over their ‘loving’ bond, after Caitlyn organised her 23rd birthday party.
In an Instagram post, she praised their ‘amazing loving partner’ and described herself as ‘so lucky’.
Alongside a gallery of snaps that heavily featured Caitlyn, she penned: ‘I have chosen to be very intentional about the people I surround myself with.
‘Surround yourself with those that inspire, those that are beautiful, those that are genuine, those that empower you, and those that choose love.
‘I am so lucky to have the friends, team, and all of the love and support I have. I cannot wait to share this year with all of these people and so many more that wouldn’t fit in this collage! Thanks for making my bday so special!’
Sophia also had a strong bond with Kris and the daughters she shared with Caitlyn – Kendall and Kylie (Kendall pictured with the pair)
‘I’m on good terms with all the family, but I’m closest with Kris, Kim, Kylie and Kendall’, Sophia previously said about her bond with the Kardashians
Back in 2018, Sophia also fueled the flames by referring to Caitlyn as her ‘partner’ and even admitted that they were ‘inseparable’.
‘I wouldn’t describe it as romantic. I would describe it as we’re partners, business partners – I’m the executive director of her foundation,’ Hutchins dished on an episode of The Hidden Truth Show podcast.
‘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,’ Sophia said.
Sophia also had a strong bond with Kris and the daughters she shared with Caitlyn – Kendall and Kylie.
The siblings once gave Sophia a stunning heart-shaped diamond necklace for Christmas.
Sophia then posed for an online ad campaign for Kim Kardashian’s highly successful clothing line, SKIMS.
‘I’m on good terms with all the family, but I’m closest with Kris, Kim, Kylie and Kendall’, Sophia said.
During a 2020 appearance on the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast, Sophie claimed that she would speak to Kris ‘all the time.’
In 2020, Sophia posed for an online ad campaign for Kim Kardashian’s highly successful clothing line SKIMS
Sophia added that Kris had given her ‘such good advice on how to help with managing Caitlyn’ over the years (pictured in 2018_
‘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,’ she revealed.
Sophia added that Kris had given her ‘such good advice on how to help with managing Caitlyn’ over the years.
While she didn’t want to ‘speak for Kris,’ and she knew Kris and Caitlyn had ‘had their issues,’ she called them both ‘amazing parents’ who have ‘really put those differences aside for their kids.’
As far as any bad blood between Caitlyn and Kris is concerned, Sophie claimed: ‘I think this misconception is just outdated, you know, I think it’s over, there’s no feud going on,’ adding Kris has helped her a lot this year with ‘different projects.’
Sophia and Caitlyn’s last public appearance together was in 2024 when Sophia accompanied her to the April 2024 White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C.
Like the athlete, Sophia was a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
The businesswoman wasn’t very active on social media in recent months but last posted what would be her final Instagram post in April, which showed fans a broken candelabra that had been repaired.
While not much is known about Sophie’s early life, she was a student at the prestigious Pepperdine University when her and Caitlyn became acquainted.
Sophia and Caitlyn’s last public appearance together was in 2024 at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Like the athlete, Sophia was a vocal supporter of Trump
In 2016, Sophia told her school newspaper that Caitlyn inspired her to transition that year.
Sophia told the paper that seeing the famous 20/20 special about Caitlyn’s transition from male-to-female ‘made it so much more real’ for her.
Speaking on her own transition at the time, she shared: ‘I’ve always had the question of, ‘Do I want to transition from male to female?’ 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.
‘College gave me the time to deal with a lot of issues that had always been there.’
Sophia earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics and finance, graduating in 2018,all while working full-time as Caitlyn’s manager.
She explained becoming Caitlyn’s manager: ‘I saw nobody was managing her, and there were all these people taking massive advantage. And I was saying: ‘Caitlyn, if I don’t step in here and start managing you, you’re going to go broke.”
Along with being Caitlyn’s manager, Sophia also served as CEO of the Caitlyn Jenner Foundation.
The non-profit organization, established in 2017, is aimed at combatting discrimination against transgender people.
‘I feel blessed that we are able to work together,’ Sophia said to PEOPLE in 2021 of her professional relationship with Caitlyn.
