Hiker who died in Runyon Canyon ID'd as Hollywood screenwriter, pal of Caitlyn Jenner

Authorities person identified the hiker who suffered a fatal aesculapian exigency successful Runyon Canyon arsenic 78-year-old screenwriter William Hasley.

Hasley was a seasoned TV writer who taught screenwriting classes astatine UCLA Extension. He was besides a person of Caitlyn Jenner and helped constitute the erstwhile athlete’s motivational publication “Finding the Champion Within,” according to his biography.

The L.A. County aesculapian examiner released Hasley’s individuality Tuesday but had yet to regularisation connected his origin of death.

More than 2 twelve unit with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a study of a hiker successful sedate aesculapian information disconnected Nichols Canyon Road adjacent Hollywood Boulevard soon earlier 7 p.m. Saturday.

A chopper was utilized to scope the diligent and let paramedics to supply urgent aesculapian care. They were incapable to prevention him, and helium was declared dormant soon after, according to the LAFD.

Hasley hailed from Pittsburgh, Penn., and played assemblage shot earlier venturing to Hollywood to prosecute his dreams arsenic a writer. He wrote connected 37 episodes of “The Smurfs” successful the precocious 1980s and aboriginal ’90s arsenic good arsenic respective episodes of “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” according to IMDB. His TV penning credits besides included “Swift Justice,” “Ghost Stories,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Young Riders” and “Highway to Heaven.”

He was capable to transmission his emotion of sports portion moving with NBC connected the network’s task “Star Salute to the U.S. Olympic Team,” wherever helium met Olympic golden medalist Caitlyn Jenner, according to his nonrecreational biography.

The brace became friends, and Hasley went connected to assistance constitute a publication astir Jenner’s doctrine connected overcoming adversity successful sports and life. He was commissioned to ghostwrite respective different motivational books including “Passion, Profit, & Power” for hypnotist Marshall Sylver and “The Slight Edge” for self-help adept Jeff Olson.

Hasley loved sharing his passionateness for penning with students astatine UCLA and described the process of penning arsenic akin to assembling a puzzle, wherever 1 tries galore antithetic combinations of pieces earlier uncovering the cleanable fit, according to his teaching biography.

“I personally judge that erstwhile you cognize your characters good capable they volition commencement dictating their actions,” helium wrote. “When that happens penning becomes a euphoric experience.”

In summation to teaching and penning helium enjoyed golfing, horseback riding, warring City Hall implicit an biology issue, volunteering successful crockery kitchens and speaking to younker organizations, according to his bio.

Hasley was formerly joined to histrion Robin Riker, champion known for her roles connected “Brothers” and “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

He lived successful the Hollywood Hills not acold from wherever helium suffered the aesculapian emergency. A neighbour told the New York Post they had seen him earlier Saturday carrying groceries home. “It’s precise bittersweet helium had to dice each unsocial similar that,” the neighbour said.

Times unit writer Sonja Sharp contributed to this report.