Lootable Bodies Mod for Minecraft 1.9/1.8.9 protects your items from despawning when you die by storing them on a dead body that you can later loot to get your stuff back. Your dead body is unharmed by fire, explosions, and falling, with configurations options to make your lootable bodies completely invulnerable (or more vulnerable, if you so choose). Simply right-click on a dead body to access its inventory. Use a shovel to dispose of your body after you looted it (3 hits with a shovel will remove the body).
Download link: Lootable Bodies Mod for Minecraft 1.9/1.8.9