Arlene Smith, the co-founder and lead singer of The Chantels who wrote and sang lead on the group's 1957 hit "Maybe," has died aged 84. She died on Wednesday of natural causes at a rehabilitation centre in her native New York City, having been in and out of hospital, her friend Matt Beckoff told The Hollywood Reporter.

Smith, born on 5 October 1941, had classical training and performed at Carnegie Hall aged 12 before forming The Chantels with fellow singers from a Bronx church choir. Signed to End Records in 1957, the group's second single, "Maybe," reached No. 15 on the pop chart and No. 2 on the R&B chart, making them one of the first female R&B vocal groups to achieve nationwide success and later earning a place on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time." After her music career, Smith taught elementary school in the Bronx until retirement; she was inducted with the group into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002 but never entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.