Judge in Guy Sebastian's $1 million fraud case dies suddenly

The high-profile Sydney judge presiding over the fraud case involving Guy Sebastian's former manager has died, just days after he was put on life support.

Judge Peter Zahra was rushed in an ambulance to Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital on Thursday after he suffered a stroke.

Zahra was a hugely respected figure in legal circles, ruling on numerous high profile cases, including the child sex conviction of Hey Dad star Robert Hughes.

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Zahra "passed peacefully" last night, a statement from his family confirmed.

"Dad was a special soul and touched the lives of everyone he met," the statement said.

"We have received many lovely messages and memories that demonstrate the type of person he was, he had a big heart and wanted to see everyone achieve more than what they ever thought possible.

"In honour of our Dad and his life, we encourage everyone to have a hot chocolate and share a dad joke in his honour. Those who knew him would know he loved a good (bad) joke!

"We would ask that you please respect our privacy at this time and provide us the space to celebrate the life of a man who will create a void that will be difficult to fill."

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At the time of being struck down by the stroke, Zahra was hearing the trial of Sebastian's former manager Titus Day, who is accused of fleecing the Aussie popstar of more than $1 million over a decade.

Zahra's sudden death will see the Sebastian-Day trial adjourned until next week when it will be reallocated to another judge.

Day allegedly pocketed money from royalties and gig fees that should have gone to the singer, but the agent has argued there was a clear answer for every charge.

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Day worked for Sebastian for a decade until their relationship soured in 2017 - leading to civil action and now a criminal trial.