Losing a dear friend leaves a lasting ache, and for Caitlyn Jenner, the pain is still fresh. The 75-year-old has opened up for the first time about the heartbreaking loss of her close friend and former manager, Sophia Hutchins.
Hutchins tragically died in July at just 29, following an ATV accident in Malibu, as reported by TMZ.
Jenner Reflects On Losing Sophia
(Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)“Recently, my good friend Sophia passed away in a tragic accident,” Jenner said during a recent appearance on Fox, as per E! News. “But for the last seven weeks, I’ve been dealing with death, and it’s so difficult.”
Reflecting on Tragedy & Grief
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)Jenner connected her grief to another tragedy, the August 27 school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that claimed the lives of Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10.
“So when this happened, it really hit me hard,” Jenner said. “Because here I am dealing with my grief, and I just can’t even imagine parents who dropped their kid off at school and, like that father just said, ‘I’ll never get a chance to talk to him again.’ That is just so horrible.”
(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)She added, “And I’ve been dealing with grief, and these people have a long road ahead of them, and they’re going to be dealing with grief.”
Inside Sophia Hutchins’ Tragic ATV Accident
(Photo by Jared Siskin/Getty Images for Vanity Fair/Saks Fifth Avenue)According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Hutchins’ cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries, and her manner of death was ruled accidental.
On July 2, Hutchins rear-ended a 2016 Mazda sedan while driving a 2013 Polaris four-wheeler in Malibu before veering off a 350-foot cliff.
The passengers of the Mazda were unharmed. Malibu/Lost Hills Sergeant Eduardo Saucedo told the Daily Mail, “It looked like she tried to maneuver to go around it, but she was going too fast and just ended up clipping the rear end of that Mazda, causing her to veer off and go off the cliff there.”
Remembering Sophia Hutchins’ Legacy
Hutchins, who first met Jenner more than a decade ago through a makeup artist, quickly became one of her closest friends and later her manager.
As Hutchins recalled to The New York Times in 2019, “Having a similar sense of humor, we spent the entire time laughing and ended up meeting for brunch. We’ve been great friends ever since.”
Jenner praised her at the time, saying, “She is one of the top minds in her field. Her value in my life is undeniable. The sky is the limit with her entrepreneurial spirit.”
Hutchins was laid to rest at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Los Angeles on July 24, with Jenner by her family’s side during the farewell.
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