Rock stars and celebrities react with dismay to Brexit

Paris: Britain's bestselling novelist and two of its rock idols have mourned the country's "disastrous" vote to leave the EU, claiming it will lead to the break up of the country.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling, an outspoken campaigner to remain in Europe, tweeted "I don't think I've ever wanted magic more" as it became clear early yesterday that the Leave camp had won.

She later predicted that the United Kingdom would break up because of the vote. "Scotland will seek independence now. (Prime Minister David) Cameron's legacy will be breaking up two unions."

Former Blur singer Damon Albarn wore a black armband as he played at the Glastonbury festival today, telling tens of thousands of fans that "democracy has failed us because it was ill-formed".

Sixties legend Marianne Faithfull said she hoped "the situation can be saved and that parliament can still do something.

"It is a disaster, " she told AFP. "I feel sick and very sad. We are back to where it used to be, the right-wing racist Little England, those dreadful people, they've always been there."

And fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld blamed rural voters "from deep in the countryside" for pushing Britain out. "The big cities didn't want it (Brexit) at all.

"I don't think it is a good idea. The analysis of the vote shows that it is a bad decision," the 82-year-old German-born Chanel creator told AFP.

The Sun newspaper -- which called for its readers to vote to quit Europe -- called Albarn and Rowling's comments "arrogant".

But Johnny Marr, the guitarist of The Smiths, took up a similar line on Twitter as a petition to parliament calling for a new referendum gathered more than two million names. "No one ever said that the majority know what they're doing," the rock star said.

And he lambasted Cameron again in another post today for his decision to quit after losing the vote.

"David Cameron took the country to an unnecessary and disastrous referendum that he couldn't handle, then bailed. Nice."

Peter Mayle, the novelist who for millions of Britons epitomised the "European dream" of living in the sun with his "Year in Provence" novels set in southern France, told AFP that the UK's exit was a "disaster for them and for Europe.