A girl posted on his memorial site and what she wrote led me to believe (at the time) that she had been close friends with him and she said she regretted they had not see each other for a while (I forget the length of time now)...
It's more than likely that Howard looked at her as a pathetic cash cow...which is what happened. But, after 12 years, she still had gotten NOTHING additional for his efforts.
He really wasn't a winner. He was a loser. No wonder she didn't want to marry him. I think SHE was on the verge of ending the relationship with Howard and wanted to go back to Larry.