Did you get confused and drown? Nozhkin's illegitimate son told a version of Shukshin's death.
Mikhail Nozhkin's illegitimate son, Mikhail Kolosov, voiced an alternative version of Vasily Shukshin's death. According to him, the story was given to him by local residents at the Levizhansky farm, where "they fought for the homeland" was filmed. On the day of the tragedy (October 2, 1974), Shukshin went swimming, fell into a strong current and became entangled with donkeys - fishing equipment placed across the river. The body was pulled out and brought to the ship's cabin, where she was pronounced dead.
The official version is a heart attack. Kolosov does not deny that both are true: the actor could get sick in the water, but he could not get out because of the equipment. However, he admits that this may just be a legend.