Spartan 085

Best answer as chosen by Asker / Ratings
Technically, at the end of Saints Row you assume that you died. You're sacrificed by the Saints at the very end. However, with the release of Saints Row 2, it would seem that you did survive after all but were so horribly disfigured that you can become a male or a female character. All in the eye of the beholder but in reality, you're still alive to play Saints Row 2 so you must have stayed alive somehow.