Caroline Klein, Chief Communications Officer for the Utah Mammoth and a key figure in the rise of Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), passed away on Thursday at age 40 due to complications from lung cancer.
Klein joined SEG in 2022, playing an instrumental role in shaping the organization behind the NBA’s Utah Jazz and the NHL’s newest expansion team, the Utah Hockey Club. Her work included launching SEG+, a streaming platform for both teams, and producing Note Worthy: 50 Seasons of Jazz Basketball, a documentary that debuted in 2024. She was also central to the successful introduction of NHL hockey to Salt Lake City.
Her passing was confirmed by a moving farewell message posted to her LinkedIn account on August 22, titled “Remember me for the way I lived.” The post, written in Klein’s voice and shared by her family, reflected on her life, her cancer diagnosis, and her unyielding spirit in the face of adversity.
“After a 38-year run of never getting sick… my August 2023 cancer diagnosis hit me like a Mack Truck,” Klein wrote. She revealed that shortly after moving to Utah in 2022, she developed foot drop—an early sign of what would later be diagnosed as Stage 4 Proximal Type Epithelioid Sarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue cancer.
Despite the grim prognosis, Klein remained focused on embracing life to its fullest. “Instead of wasting time obsessing about how not to die, I spent my cancer journey focusing on how to live,” she shared. “And boy, did I live.”
Klein married her husband, Mike Gartlan, in August 2024, during what she described as a year of living at full speed—soaking up time with loved ones, traveling, laughing, and making memories. “I was at peace leaving the world knowing that I didn’t leave anything on the table,” she wrote.
She closed her farewell with a call to others to live boldly and fully: “Please, try to see every day as a license to LIVE, not just pass the time.”
Tributes have poured in across the sports world. SEG chairman and CEO Ryan Smith called her “truly one of a kind,” adding, “Utah lost a legend on Thursday. She will be missed every single day.”
The NHL also released a statement, praising Klein’s impact on the league and her courage: “Caroline’s effervescence and her tireless work to establish the Utah franchise were marvels… Our time working together, like Caroline’s life, was too short. But everyone fortunate enough to have met her is endlessly richer for the experience.”
