Caitlyn Jenner’s Friend William Hasley Found Dead on L.A. Hiking Trail

Caitlyn Jenner has lost a longtime friend.

William Hasley, who worked as a ghostwriter on the Olympian’s 1996 motivational book Finding the Champion Within, died on June 6, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records viewed by E! News. He was 78. 

Hasley was found in an area near Runyon Canyon, the L.A. Fire Department told the New York Post. Authorities said air rescuers attempted to save him but were unsuccessful. 

“LAFD Air Operations lowered rescuers to the patient,” an LAFD spokesperson said in a June 9 statement to the outlet, “and medical treatment was administered.”

Hasley was pronounced dead at the scene. No cause of death has been shared at this time.

In addition to being a prolific author, Hasley was also a screenwriter who worked on cartoons like The Smurfs and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. It was his work on Fat Albert that got him involved with the Special Olympics, a role he was particularly excited about as he was a former football player and cross-country athlete at Marshall University, according to the biography on his website.