PRINCETON, N. J., Feb. 18--Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, the nuclear physicist, died here tonight at the age of 62. February 19, 1967 OBITUARY J. Robert Oppenheimer, Atom Bomb Pioneer, Dies Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. J. Robert Oppenheimer is often called the "father of the atomic bomb" for leading the Manhattan Project, the program that developed the first nuclear weapon during World War II.