I died in the nether due to the already known bug of when-you-save-and-quit-you-crash. Some of the blocks I had dug regenerated, and I suffocated to death. However, I had a shield in my offhand, which was still there when I respawned. Other times I have died I lost my shield, so I suspect the two glitches are intertwined.

To recreate: 

Put an item in your offhand.

Save and quit on an old device so the game crashes when you do it

Die after getting back on

I'm not completely sure that's how you recreate it, and since this is from an older version things may have changed.